Univ.of  ill.  Library 
51 

Z30& 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW 

A STORY  OF  ICELAND 


By  S BARING-OOULD 


NEW  YORK 


PREFACE. 


TO  MY  YOUNG  BEADEKS. 

It  is  now  just  thirty  years  since  I first  began  to 
fead  the  “ Saga  of  Grettir  the  Strong  ” in  Icelandic. 
At  that  time  I had  only  a Danish  grammar  of  Ice- 
landic and  an  Icelandic-Danish  dictionary,  and  I 
did  not  know  a word  of  Danish.  So  I had  to  learn 
Danish  in  order  to  learn  Icelandic. 

It  was  laborious  work  making  out  the  Saga,  and 
every  line  when  I began  took  me  some  time  to 
understand.  Moreover,  I had  not  much  time  at  my 
disposal,  for  then  I was  a master  in  a school. 

Now,  after  I had  worked  a little  way  into  the 
Saga,  I became  intensely  interested  in  it  myself,  and 
it  struck  me  that  my  boys  whom  I taught  might  like 
to  hear  about  Grettir.  So  I tried  every  day  to  trans- 
late, after  school  hours,  a chapter,  hardly  ever  more 
at  first,  and  sometimes  not  even  as  much  as  that. 
Then,  when  on  half-holidays  I proposed  a walk  to 
some  of  my  scholars,  they  were  keen  to  hear  the 
story  of  Grettir.  Well,  Grettir  went  on  for  some 
months  in  this  way,  a fresh  instalment  of  the  tale 
coming  every  half-holiday,  and  it  was  really  wonder- 
ful how  interested  and  delighted  the  boys  were  with 

\ 3 


4 


PREFACE. 


the  story.  !Nor  was  I less  so ; the  labor  of  transla- 
tion which  was  so  great  at  first  became  rapidly 
lighter,  and  I was  as  much  interested  in  the  adven- 
tures of  the  hero  as  were  the  boys.  The  other  day 
I met  an  old  pupil  of  mine,  and  almost  the  first  thing 
he  said  to  me  was : “ Oh  ! do  you  remember  Grettir  ? 
Thirty  years  ago!  Fancy!  I am  a married  man 
and  have  boys  of  my  own,  and  I have  often  tried  to 
tell  them  the  story  which  made  such  an  impression 
on  me,  but  I cannot  remember  all  the  incidents  nor 
their  order.  I do  wish  you  would  write  it  as  a story 
for  boys.  I should  like  to  read  it  myself  again,  and 
my  boys  would  love  it.”  “Very  well,”  I said,  “I 
will  do  so.” 

Now  my  boy  readers  must  understand  that  I have 
told  them  the  story  in  my  own  words  and  in  my 
own  way.  I went  to  Iceland  in  1861,  and  went  over 
nearly  every  bit  of  the  ground  made  famous  by  the 
adventures  of  Grettir.  Consequently,  I am  able  to 
help  out  and  illustrate  the  tale  by  what  I actually 
saw.  In  the  original  book  there  is  a great  deal  more 
than  I have  attempted  to  retell,  but  much  has  to  do 
with  the  ancestors  of  Grettir,  and  there  are  other 
incidents  introduced  of  no  great  importance  and  very 
confusing  to  the  memory.  So  I have  taken  the  lead- 
ing points  in  the  story,  and  given  them. 


S.  BARING-GOULD. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I.  Winter  Tales 7 

II.  How  Grettir  played  on  the  Ice 16 

III.  Of  the  Ride  to  Thingvalla 19 

IV.  The  Doom-day 27 

V.  The  Voyage 30 

YI.  The  Red  Rovers 36 

VII.  The  Story  of  the  Sword 52 

VIII.  Of  the  Bear 60 

IX.  The  slaying  of  Biorn 69 

X.  Of  Grettir’s  Return 74 

XL  The  Horse-fight. 82 

XII.  Of  the  Fight  at  the  Neck 86 

XIII.  How  Grettir  and  Audun  made  Friends 90 

XIV.  The  Vale  of  Shadows 95 

XV.  How  Grettir  fought  with  Glam 106 

XVI.  How  Grettir  sailed  to  Norway . 113 

XVII.  The  Hostel-burning 117 

XVIII.  The  Ordeal  by  Fire 122 

XIX.  The  Winter  in  Norway 127 

XX.  Of  what  Befell  at  Biarg 135 

XXI.  The  Return  of  Grettir * 141 

XXII.  The  Slaying  of  Oxmain • 145 

XXIII.  AtLearwood 150 

XXIV.  The  Foster-brothers 169 

XXV.  How  Grettir  was  well  nigh  Hung 177 

XXVI.  In  the  Desert 185 

XXVII.  On  the  great  Eagle  Lake 191 

XXVIII.  On  the  Fell 202 


5 


6 


CONTENTS, 


XXIX.  The  Fight  on  the  River 208 

XXX.  A mysterious  Yale 214 

XXXI.  The  Death  of  Hallmund 219 

XXXII.  Of  Another  Attempt  against  Grettir 222 

XXXIII.  At  Sandheaps 226 

XXXIY.  How  Grettir  was  Driven  about 289 

XXXY.  On  the  Isle 242 

XXXYI.  Of  Grettir  on  Heron-ness 250 

XXX YII.  Of  Hoering’s  Leap 258 

XXXYIII.  Of  the  Attempt  made  by  Grettir’ s Friends 263 

XXXIX.  Of  the  Old  Hag 265 

XL.  How  the  Log  came  to  Drangey 270 

XLI.  The  End  of  the  Outlaw 276 

XLII.  How  Asdis  received  the  News 286 

XLIII.  How  Dromund  keep  his  Word 289 

Epilogue 294 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW, 


CHAPTER  I. 

WINTER  TALES. 

It  was  night — drawing  on  to  midnight — in  sum- 
mer, that  I who  write  this  book  arrived  at  the  little 
lonely  farm  of  Biarg,  on  the  Middle  Biver,  in  the 
north  of  Iceland.  It  was  night,  near  on  midnight, 
and  yet  I could  hardly  call  it  night,  for  the  sky  over- 
head was  full  of  light  of  the  clearest  amethyst,  and 
every  stock  and  stone  was  distinctly  visible.  Across 
the  valley  rose  a rugged  moor,  and  above  its  shoulder 
a snow-clad  mountain,  turned  to  rosy  gold  by  the 
night  sun.  As  I stood  there  watching  the  mist  form 
on  the  cold  river  in  the  vale  below,  all  at  once  I 
heard  a strange  sound  like  horns  blowing  far  away 
in  the  sky,  and  looking  up,  I saw  a train  of  swans 
flying  from  west  to  east,  bathed  in  sunlight,  their 
wings  of  silver,  and  their  feathers  as  gold. 

I had  come  all  the  way  from  England  to  see  Biarg, 
for  there  was  born,  about  the  year  a.d.  997,  a man 
called  Grettir,  whose  history  I had  read,  and  which 
interested  me  so  much  that  I was  resolved  to  see  his 

7 


8 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


native  home,  and  the  principal  scenes  where  his 
stormy  life  was  passed. 

The  landscape  was  the  same  as  that  on  which 
Grettir’s  childish  eyes  had  looked  more  than  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  The  same  outline  of 
dreary  moor,  the  same  snowy  ridge  of  mountain 
standing  above  it,  catching  the  midnight  summer  sun, 
the  same  mist  forming  over  the  river ; but  the  house 
was  altogether  different.  Now  there  stood  only  a 
poor  heap  of  farm-buildings,  erected  of  turf  and 
wood,  where  had  once  been  a noble  hall  of  wood, 
with  carved  gable-ends,  surrounded  by  many  out- 
houses. 

Before  we  begin  on  the  story  of  Grettir,  it  will  be 
well  to  say  a few  words  about  its  claim  to  be  history. 

Iceland  never  was,  and  it  is  not  now,  a much- 
peopled  island.  The  farmhouses  are  for  the  most 
part  far  apart,  and  the  farms  are  of  very  considerable 
extent,  because,  owing  to  the  severity  of  the  climate, 
very  little  pasturage  is  obtained  over  a wide  extent 
of  country  for  the  sheep  and  cattle.  The  population 
lives  round  the  coast,  on  the  fiords  or  creeks  of  the 
sea,  or  on  the  rivers  that  flow  into  these  fiords. 
The  center  of  the  island  is  occupied  by  a vast  waste 
of  ice-covered  mountain,  and  desert  black  as  ink 
strewn  with  volcanic  ash  and  sand,  or  else  with  a 
region  of  erupted  lava  that  is*  impassable,  because 
in  cooling  it  has  exploded,  and  forms  a country  of 
bristling  spikes  and  gulfs  and  sharp  edges,  very 
much  like  the  wreck  of  a huge  ginger-beer  bottle 
factory. 


WINTER  TALES. 


9 


What  are  now  farmhouses  were  the  halls  and 
mansions  of  families  of  noble  descent.  Indeed,  the 
original  settlers  in  Iceland  were  the  nobles  of  Nor- 
way who  left  their  native  land  to  avoid  the  tyranny 
of  Harold  Fairhair,  who  tried  to  crush  their  power 
so  as  to  make  himself  a despotic  king  in  the  land. 

These  Norse  nobles  came  in  their  boats  to  Iceland, 
bringing  with  them  theii:  wives,  children,  their 
thralls  or  slaves,  and  their  cattle ; and  they  settled 
all  round  the  coast.  The  present  Icelanders  are 
descended  from  these  first  colonists. 

Now,  the  history  of  Iceland  for  a few  hundred 
years  consists  of  nothing  but  the  history  of  the 
quarrels  of  these  great  families.  Iceland  was  without 
any  political  organization,  but  it  had  an  elected  law- 
man or  judge,  and  every  year  the  heads  of  the  families 
rode  to  Thingvalla,  a plain  in  the  southwest,  where 
they  brought  their  complaints,  carried  on  their  law- 
suits, and  had  them  settled  by  the  judge.  There  was 
no  army,  no  navy,  no  government  in  Iceland  for  a 
long  time;  also  no  foreign  wars,  and  no  internal 
revolutions. 

These  noble  families  settled  in  the  valleys  and  upon 
the  fiords  thought  a good  deal  of  themselves,  and 
they  carefully  preserved,  at  first  orally,  then  in  writ- 
ing, the  record  of  their  pedigrees,  and  also  the  tra- 
dition of  the  famous  deeds  of  their  great  men. 

In  summer  there  is  no  night ; in  winter,  no  day. 
In  winter  there  is  little  or  nothing  to  be  done  but  sit 
over  the  fire,  sing  songs,  and  tell  yarns.  Now  in 
winter  the  Icelanders  told  the  tales  of  the  brave 


10 


grettir  the  outlaw. 


men  of  old  in  their  families,  and  so  the  tradition 
was  handed  on  from  father  to  son,  the  same  stories 
told  every  winter,  till  all  the  particulars  became 
well  known.  At  the  same  time  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  little  embellishments  were  added,  some 
exaggerations  were  indulged  in,  and  here  and  there 
the  grand  deed  of  some  other  man  was  grafted  into 
the  story  of  the  family  hero.  About  two  hundred 
or  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  death  of 
Grettir,  his  history  was  committed  to  writing,  and 
then  it  became  fixed — nothing  further  was  added  to 
it,  and  we  have  his  story  after  having  traveled 
down  over  two  hundred  years  as  a tradition.  That 
was  plenty  of  time  for  additions  and  emendations, 
and  the  hobgoblin  and  ghost  stories  that  come  into 
his  life  are  some  of  these  embellishments.  But  the 
main  facts  of  his  life  are  true  history.  We  are  able 
to  decide  this  by  comparing  his  story  with  those  of 
other  families  in  the  same  part  of  the  island,  and  to 
see  whether  they  agree  as  to  dates,  and  as  to  the 
circumstances  narrated  in  them. 

In  the  northwest  of  Iceland  is  an  immense  bay 
called  the  Huna-floi,  which  branches  off  into  several 
creeks,  the  largest  of  which  is  called  the  Bamsfirth, 
and  the  next  to  that  is  the  Middlefiord.  Into  this 
flows  a river  that  has  its  rise  in  the  central  desert, 
in  a perfect  tangle  of  lakes.  Three  rivers  issuing 
from  these  lakes  unite  just  above  Biarg,  and  pour 
their  waters  a short  morning’s  ride  lower  through 
sands  into  the  Middlefirth. 

The  valley  is  not  cheerful,  running  from  north  to 


WINTER  TALES. 


II 


south.  Biarg  lies  on  the  east  side,  and  faces  the 
western  sun.  The  moor  which  lies  behind  it,  and 
forms  the  hill  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  is  not 
broken  and  picturesque,  and  if  it  were  not  for  the 
peak  of  Burfell,  covered  with  snow  a good  part  of 
the  year,  the  view  from  Biarg  would  be  as  uninter- 
esting as  any  to  be  found  in  the  land.  But  then, 
when  one  rides  down  to  the  coast,  or  ascends  the 
moor,  what  a splendid  view  bursts  on  the  sight  ? 
The  great  Polar  Sea  is  before  one,  intensely  blue, 
not  with  the  deep  ultramarine  of  the  Mediterranean, 
but  with  the  blue  of  the  nemophyla  or  forget-me- 
not,  rolling  in  from  the  mysterious  North ; and 
across  the  mighty  bay  of  the  Huna-floi  can  be  seen 
the  snowy  mountains  of  that  extraordinary  penin- 
sula which  runs  out  of  the  northwest  of  Iceland, 
and  is  only  just  not  converted  into  an  island  because 
connected  with  Iceland  by  a narrow  strip  of  land. 
That  great  projection  is  like  a hand  with  fiords 
between  the  fingers  of  land,  and  glacier-mountains 
where  are  the  knuckles ; but  the  wrist  is  very 
narrow  indeed,  only  about  one  English  mile  across, 
and  there  lies  a trough  along  this  junction,  with  a 
little  stream  and  a lake  in  it.  Now,  at  this  wrist, 
as  we  may  call  it,  lies  the  farm  of  Eyre,  where, 
somewhat  later,  lived  the  sister  of  Grettir,  who 
married  a man  that  farmed  there,  named  Glum. 

Looking  away  across  the  great  blue  bay,  the 
mountains  of  the  hand  may  be  seen  rising  out  of  the’ 
sea,  and  looking  like  icebergs. 

Grettir  the  Strong  was  the  son  of  a well-to-do 


12  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

bonder,  or  yeoman,  who  lived  at  Biarg,  and  was 
descended  from  some  of  the  great  nobles  of  Norway. 
His  father’s  name  was  Asmund  with  the  Greyhead, 
and  his  mother’s  name  was  Asdis. 

He  had  a brother  called  Atli,  a gentle,  kindly 
young  fellow,  who  never  wittingly  quarreled  with 
any  one,  and  was  liked  by  all  with  whom  he  had 
to  do.  He  had  also  two  sisters — one  was  called  v 
Thordis,  and  she  was  married  to  Glum  of  Eyre — 
but  neither  come  into  the  story  ; and  he  had  another 
sister  called  Rannveig,  who  was  married  to  Gamli 
of  Melar,  at  the  head  of  Ramsfirth.  He  had  also  a 
little  brother  called  Illugi,  of  whom  more  hereafter. 

Grettir  was  not  a good-looking  boy  ; he  had  red- 
dish hair,  a pale  face  full  of  freckles,  and  light  blue 
eyes.  He  was  broad-built,  not  tall  as  a boy,  though 
in  the  end  he  grew  to  be  a very  big  man. 

He  was  not  considered  a good-tempered  or  soci- 
able boy.  He  seemed  lazy  and  sullen ; he  liked  to 
sit  by  the  fire  without  speaking  to  any  one,  listening 
to  what  was  said,  and  brooding  over  what  he  had 
heard. 

If  his  father  set  him  a task,  he  did  it  so  unwill- . 
ingly,  and  so  badly  that  Asmund  Greyhead  regretted 
having  set  him  to  do  anything. 

Now,  during  the  winter,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
when  there  is  but  a very  little  daylight,  and  the 
nights  are  vastly  long,  when,  moreover,  the  whole 
land  is  deep  in  snow,  so  that  there  is  no  farm-work 
that  can  be  done,  and  no  traveling  about  to  visit 
neighbors,  it  was,  and  is  still,  usual  in  Iceland  for 


WINTER  TALES. 


*3 


those  in  the  house  to  tell  tales,  or  sagas,  as  they  are 
called.  Some  of  these  sagas  relate  to  the  old  gods 
of  the  Norsemen,  some  are  fabulous  stories  of  old 
heroes  who  never  existed,  or,  if  they  did  exist,  have 
had  all  sorts  of  fantastic  legends  tacked  on  to  their 
histories ; but  other  sagas  are  the  tales  of  the  doings 
of  ancestors  of  the  family. 

Now,  among  the  sagas  that  Grettir  used  to  hearken 
to  with  greatest  delight  was  that  of  old  Onund 
Treefoot,  his  great-grandfather,  who  first  settled  in 
Iceland.  And  this  was  the  tale  : 

Onund,  the  sun  of  Ufeigh  Clubfoot,  son  of  Ivar 
the  Smiter,  was  a mighty  Viking  in  Norway  ; that  is 
he  went  about  every  summer  harrying  the  coasts  of 
England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland.  He  joined  with 
three  friends,  and  they  had  five  ships  together,  and 
one  summer  they  sailed  to  the  Hebrides— which 
were  then  called  the  Sudereys,  or  southern  isles. 

The  Bishop  of  the  Isle  of  Man  is  still  called  Bishop 
of  Sodor  and  Man,  because  his  diocese  originally  in- 
cluded the  Sudereys.  Then  out  against  them  came 
Kiarval,  king  of  the  Hebrides,  with  five  ships,  and 
they  gave  him  battle,  and  there  was  a hard  fray. 
But  the  men  of  Onund  were  the  mightiest  warriors. 
On  each  side  many  fell,  but  the  end  of  the  battle 
was  that  the  king  fled  with  only  one  ship.  So 
Onund  took  the  four  vessels  and  great  spoil,  and  he 
wrought  great  havoc  on  the  coast,  plundering  and 
burning,  and  so  in  the  fall  of  the  year  returned  to 
Norway.  In  the  history  of  England,  and  in  that  of 


H 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


Scotland  and  of  Ireland,  we  read  of  the  terrible  an- 
noyance given  to  the  natives  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  by  the  northern  pirates ; and,  indeed,  they 
conquered  Dublin,  and  established  a kingdom  there, 
and  also  took  to  themselves  Orkney.  "Well,  when 
Onund  returned  to  Norway  he  did  not  find  that 
matters  were  pleasant  there ; for  King  Harald  the 
Unshorn  had  begun  to  establish  himself  sole  king  in 
Norway.  Hitherto  there  had  been  many  small 
kings  and  earls  ; but  Harald  had  taken  an  oath  that 
he  would  not  cut  or  trim  his  hair  till  he  had  subdued 
all  under  his  power,  and  made  himself  supreme 
throughout  the  land. 

A great  many  bonders  and  all  the  little  kings 
united  against  him,  and  there  was  a great  battle 
fought  at  Hafrsfiord — the  greatest  battle  that  had 
as  yet  been  fought  in  Norway.  Onund  was  in  the 
battle  along  with  his  friend,  King  Thorir  Longchin, 
and  he  set  his  ship  alongside  of  that  of  King  Long- 
chin.  King  Harald  ran  his  ship  up  alongside  of  that 
of  Longchin,  grappled  it,  and  boarded  it.  There 
was  a furious  fight,  and  Harald  sent  on  board  his 
Bearsarks,  a set  of  half-mad  ruffians,  who  wore  not 
bear  but  wolf  skins,  and  who  were  said  to  lead 
charmed  lives,  so  that  no  weapon  would  wound  them. 
Thorir  Longchin  and  all  his  men  were  killed  ; and 
then  King  Harald  cut  away  the  ship  and  ran  up 
against  that  of  Onund.  Onund  was  in  the  fore  part, 
and  he  fought  manfully.  As  the  grappling-irons  of 
Harald  caught  his  ship,  Onund  made  a sweep  with 
his  longsword  at  the  man  who  threw  the  irons,  and 


WINTER  TALES. 


15 

in  so  doing  he  put  his  leg  over  the  bulwark.  Then 
one  on  the  king’s  ship  threw  a spear  at  Onund.  He 
saw  it  flung,  and  leaned  his  head  back  to  let  it  fly 
over  him,  and  as  he  did  so  one  on  the  king’s  ship 
smote  at  him  with  a battle-ax,  and  the  ax  fell  on 
his  leg  below  the  knee  and  shore  his  leg  off. 
Then  Onund  fell  back  on  board  his  own  vessel,  and 
his  men  carried  him  across  into  that  of  a friend 
named  Thrand,  who  lay  alongside  of  him  on  the 
other  board.  And  Thrand  had  a great  caldron  there 
of  pitch  boiled,  and  Onund  set  his  knee  in  the  boil- 
ing pitch,  and  never  blinked  nor  uttered  a cry. 
That  stanched  the  blood.  If  he  had  not  done  this 
he  would  have  bled  to  death. 

Now  Thrand  saw  that  King  Harald  was  gaining 
the  mastery  everywhere,  so  he  fled  away  with  his 
ship  and  sailed  west. 

Onund  was  healed  of  his  wound,  but  ever  after 
he  walked  with  a wooden  leg,  and  that  is  why  he 
got  the  name  of  Onund  Treefoot. 

After  the  battle  of  Hafrsfiord,  Onund  could  only 
return  to  Norway  by  stealth,  and  he  could  not  re- 
cover his  lands  there,  so  he  deemed  it  wisest  for  him 
to  sail  away  and  seek  a home  elsewhere.  That  is 
how  he  left  Norway  and  settled  in  Iceland. 

And  when  King  Harold  saw  himself  lord  and 
master  through  all  the  land,  then  he  had  his  hair 
trimmed  and  combed,  and  it  was  so  long  and  so  beau- 
tiful, that  ever  after  he  who  had  been  called  “ The 
Unshorn  ” went  by  the  name  of  “ Fairhair,”  and  in 
history  he  is  known  as  King  Harald  Fairhair. 


1 6 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTEK  II. 

HOW  GRETTIR  PLAYED  ON  THE  ICE. 

There  are  several  tales  told  of  Grettir  when  he 
was  a boy,  which  show  that  he  was  a rough  and  un- 
kindly lad.  He  was  set  by  his  father  to  keep  geese 
on  the  moors,  and  this  made  him  angry,  so  he  threw 
stones  at  the  geese  and  killed  or  wounded  them  all. 

The  old  man  suffered  from  lumbago,  and  in  winter 
when  unwell  asked  his  wife  and  the  boys  to  rub  his 
back  by  the  fire ; but  when  Grettir  was  required  to 
do  this,  he  lost  his  temper,  and  on  one  occasion  he 
snatched  up  a wool-carding  comb  and  dug  it  into  his 
old  father’s  back. 

Many  other  things  he  did  which  made  those  at 
home  not  like  him,  and  there  was  not  much  love 
lost  between  him  and  his  father.  The  fact  was  that 
Grettir  was  a headstrong,  wilful  fellow,  and  bitterly 
had  he  to  pay  in  after  life  for  this  youthful  wilful- 
ness and  obstinacy.  It  was  these  qualities,-  untamed 
in  him,  that  wrecked  his  whole  life,  and  it  may  be 
said  brought  ruin  and  extinction  on  his  family.. 
There  were  great  and  good  qualities  in  Grettir’s 
nature,  but  they  did  not  show  when  he  was  young ; 
only  much  suffering  and  cruel  privations  brought 


HOW  GRETTIR  PLAYED  ON  THE  ICE.  1 7 

out  in  the  end  the  higher  and  nobler  elements  that 
were  in  him. 

It  is  so  with  all  who  have  any  good  in  them,  if  by 
early  discipline  it  is  not  manifested,  then  it  is  brought 
out  by  the  rough  usage  of  misfortune  in  after  life. 

And  now  I will  give  one  incident  of  Grettir’ s boy- 
hood. It  was  a favorite  amusement  for  young  fel- 
lows at  that  time  to  play  golf  on  the  ice,  and  in  win- 
ter, when  the  Middlefirth  was  frozen  over,  large 
parties  assembled  there  for  the  sport. 

One  winter  a party  was  arranged  for  a match  on 
the  ice,  and  a good  many  lads  came  to  Middlefirth 
from  Willowdale,  a valley  only  separated  from  the 
Middlefirth  by  a long  shoulder  of  ugly  moor.  The 
Willowdales-men  had  a much  better  sheet  of  water, 
a very  large  lake  called  Hop,  into  which  their  river 
flowed,  before  discharging  itself  into  the  [sea ; and 
the  return  match  was  to  be  played  on  Hop. 

Among  the  young  fellows  who  came  from  Willow- 
dale  was  -Audun,  a fine,  strapping  fellow ; frank, 
well-built,  good-looking,  and  amiable. 

When  the  parties  were  assembled  at  the  place, 
there  they  were  paired  off  according  to  age  and 
strength;  and  on  this  occasion  I am  speaking  of, 
Grettir,  who  was  fourteen,  was  set  to  play  with 
Audun,  who  was  two  years  older  than  he,  and  a 
head  taller. 

Audun  struck  the  ball  and  it  flew  over  Grettir’s 
head,  and  he  missed  it,  and  it  went  skimming  away 
over  the  ice  to  a great  distance,  and  Grettir  had  to 
run  after  it.  Some  of  those  who  were  looking  on 

2 


1 8 GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

laughed.  Then  Grettir’s  anger  was  roused.  He  got 
the  ball  and  came  back  carrying  it,  till  he  was  with- 
in a few  yards  of  Audun,  and  then,  instead  of  drop- 
ping the  ball,  and  striking  it  with  his  golfing-stick, 
he  suddenly  threw  it  with  all  his  force  against  his 
adversary,  and  struck  him  between  his  eyes,  so  that 
it  half-stunned  him,  and  cut  the  skin.  Audun 
whirled  his  golfing-bat  round,  and  struck  at  Grettir, 
who  dodged  under  and  escaped  the  blow.  Then 
Audun  and  Grettir  grappled  each  other,  and  wrestled 
on  the  ice. 

Every  one  thought  that  Audun  would  have  the 
stumpy,  thick-set  boy  down  in  a trice,  but  it  was 
not  so ; Grettir  held  his  ground ; — they  swung  this 
way,  that  way  ; now  one  seemed  about  to  be  cast, 
and  then  the  other,  and  although  Audun  was  almost 
come  to  a man’s  strength,  he  could  not  for  a long 
time  throw  Grettir.  At  last  Grettir  slipped  on  a 
piece  of  ice  where  some  had  been  sliding,  and  went 
down.  His  blood  was  up,  so  was  that  of  Audun ; and 
the  fight  would  have  been  continued  with  their  sticks, 
had  not  Grettir’s  brother  Atli  thrown  himself  be- 
tween the  combatants  and  separated  them.  Atli  held 
his  brother  back,  and  tried  to  patch  up  the  quarrel. 

“You  need  not  hold  me  like  a mad  dog,”  said 
Grettir.  “ Thralls  wreak  their  vengeance  at  once, 
cowards  never.” 

Audun  and  Grettir  were  distant  cousins.  They 
were  not  allowed  to  play  against  each  other  any 
more,  and  the  rest  went  on  with  their  game. 


OF  THE  RIDE  TO  THINGVALLA. 


19 


CHAPTER  III. 

OF  THE  HIDE  TO  THINGVALLA. 

There  lived  in  Waterdale,  a day’s  journey  from 
Biarg,  an  old  bonder,  named  Thorkel  Krafla.  He 
was  the  first  Icelander  who  became  a Christian. 

In  heathen  times,  among  the  Northmen  as  among 
the  Romans,  it  was  allowable  for  parents  to  expose 
their  children  to  death,  if  they  did  not  want  to  have 
the  trouble  of  rearing  them.  Now  Thorkel  had 
been  so  exposed,  with  a napkin  over  his  face.  It  so 
happened  that  a great  chief  called  Thorkel  Mani 
was  riding  along  one  day,  thinking  about  the  gods 
that  he  had  been  taught  to  believe  in,  who  drank 
and  got  drunk,  and  fought  each  other,  and,  being  a 
grave,  meditative  man,  he  could  not  make  out  what 
these  rollicking,  fighting  gods  could  have  had  to  do 
with  the  world, — with  the  creation  of  sun,  moon, 
and  stars,  and  the  earth  with  its  yield.  He  thought 
to  himself,  “ There  must  be  some  God  above  these 
tipsy,  quarrelsome  deities;  and  this  higher  God 
must  love  men,  and  be  good  and  kind  to  men.” 

As  he  thought  this,  he  heard  a little  whimpering 
noise  from  behind  a stone ; he  got  off  his  horse,  and 
went  to  see  what  produced  this  noise,  and  found 


20  . GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

there  a poor  little  baby,  that  with  its  tiny  hands 
had  rumpled  up  the  kerchief  which  had  been  spread 
over  its  nose  and  mouth.  Thorkel  Mani  took  up 
the  deserted  babe  in  his  arms,  and  looking  up  to 
heaven,  to  the  sun,  said,  “ If  the  good  God,  who  is 
high  over  all,  called  this  little  being  into  life,  gave 
it  eyes  and  mouth  and  ears  and  hands  and  feet,  He 
surely  never  intended  His  handiwork  to  be  cast  out 
as  a thing  of  no  value,  to  die.  For  the  love  of  Him 
I will  take  this  child.” 

Then  Thorkel  Mani  rode  home,  carrying  the  baby 
in  his  arms;  and  he  called  it  by  his  own  name, 
Thorkel ; but  to  distinguish  it  from  himself,  it  was 
given  the  nickname  Krafla,  which  means  to  rumple, 
because  the  babe  had  rumpled  up  the  kerchief,  so 
as  to  let  its  cries  be  heard.  So  the  child  grew  up, 
and  kept  the  name  through  life  of  Thorkel  Rumple. 
This  Thorkel  became  a very  great  man,  and  Godi, 
or  magistrate,  of  the  Waterdale ; and,  as  I have 
said,  he  was  the  first  man  to  become  a Christian, 
when  missionaries  of  the  gospel  came  to  Iceland. 

Yery  soon  after  Grettir’s  birth  Christianity  be- 
came general,  and  in  the  year  1000  was  sanctioned 
by  law ; but  there  were  few  Christian  priests  in  the 
land,  so  that  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  had  not 
spread  much,  and  taken  hold  and  transformed  men’s 
lives.  Thorkel  Rumple  was  now  very  old.  He  was 
the  bosom  friend  of  Asmund,  and  every  year  when 
in  the  spring  he  rode  to  the  great  assizes  at  Thing- 
valla,  he  always  halted  at  least  one  night  at  Biarg. 
Hot  only  were  Asmund  and  he  men  of  like  minds, 


OF  THE  RIDE  TO  THINGVALLA.  21 

and  friends,  but  they  were  also  connected.  In  the 
spring  of  the  year  1011,  Thorkel  arrived  as  usual  at 
Biarg,  attended  by  a great  many  men,  and  he  was 
most  warmly  received  by  Asmund  and  his  wife. 
He  remained  with  them  three  nights,  and  he  and 
they  fell  a-talking  about  the  prospects  of  the  two 
young  men,  Atli  and  Grettir.  Asmund  told  his 
kinsman  that  Atli  was  a quiet,  amiable  fellow,  now 
at  man’s  estate,  and  likely  to  prove  a good  farmer ; 
a man  who  would  worthily  succeed  him  at  Biarg 
when  he  died,  and  keep  the  honor  of  the  family  un- 
tarnished, and  would  enlarge  the  estate. 

“ Ah ! I see,”  said  Thorkel.  “ A useful  man,  good 
and  respectable,  like  yourself.  But  what  about 
Grettir  ? ” 

Asmund  hesitated  a moment  before  answering ; 
but  presently  he  said,  “ I hardly  know  what  to  say 
of  him.  He  is  unruly,  sullen,  makes  no  friends,  and 
he  has  been  a constant  cause  of  vexation  to  me.” 

Thorkel  answered,  “ That  is  a bad  prospect ; how- 
ever, let  him  come  with  me  to  Thingvalla,  and  I 
shall  be  able  to  see  on  the  journey  of  what  stuff  he 
is  made.” 

To  this  Asmund  agreed;  and.  right  glad  was 
Grettir  to  think  he  was  to  go  to  the  great  law- 
gathering. 

Thorkel  had  sixty  men  with  him,  and  he  rode  in 
some  state  ; for,  as  already  said,  he  was  a great  man. 
The  way  led  over  the  great  desolate  waste,  called 
the  Two-days-ride ; but  as  on  this  expanse  there  were 
few  halting-places,  the  grass  most  scanty,  and  not 


22 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


sufficient  to  allow  of  a stay,  the  party  rode  across  it 
down  to  the  settled  lands  nearer  the  coast  as  quickly 
as  they  could,  and  reached  Fleet-tongue  in  time  to 
sleep  ; so  they  took  the  bridles  off  their  horses,  and 
let  them  graze  with  their  saddles  on.  Their  road 
had  lain  among  the  lakes,  from  which  issued  the 
rivers  that  united  above  Biarg.  In  each  lake  floated 
a pair  of  swans.  Often  they  heard  the  loud  hoarse 
cry  of  the  great  northern  diver ; but  there  was 
hardly  any  grass,  for  the  moor  lies  high,  is  swept 
by  the  icy  blasts  from  the  glacier  mountains  to  the 
south,  and  is  made  up  of  black  sand.  Before  them 
all  day  had  stood  towering  into  the  sky  the  Eyreks- 
jokull,  a mountain  with  perfectly  precipitous  sides  of 
black  basalt,  domed  over  with  glittering  ice.  It  re- 
sembles an  immense  bridecake.  At  one  place  this 
mountain  in  former  times  had  gaped,  and  poured 
forth  a fiery  stream  of  lava  that  ran  to  the  lakes, 
and  for  a while  converted  them  to  steam.  One  can 
still  see  whence  this  great  fiery  river  issued  from 
the  mountain.  Little  did  Grettir  think  then  as  he 
passed  under  it,  a boy  of  fourteen,  that,  for  the  three 
most  lonely,  wretched  years  of  his  life,  that  great 
glacier-crowned  mountain  was  to  he  the  one  object 
on  which  his  eye  would  rest. 

The  men  were  all  very  tired  after  their  long  ride, 
and  they  slept  till  late  next  morning,  lying  about 
on  the  scant  herbage,  around  a fire  made  of  the  roots 
of  trailing  willows  that  they  had  dug  out  of  the 
sand. 

When  they  awoke  many  of  the  horses  had  strayed, 


OF  THE  RIDE  TO  THINGVALLA. 


^3 


and  some  had  rolled  in  the  sand,  burst  their  girths 
and  shaken  off  their  saddles.  But  they  could  not 
have  gone  any  great  distance,  for  they  were  all  hob- 
bled. In  Iceland  thick  woolen  ropes  are  put  round 
the  legs  of  the  horses,  below  the  hocks,  and  twisted 
together  into  a knot  with  a knuckle-bone.  This 
serves  as  a secure  hobble,  and  the  wool  being  soft 
does  not  gall  the  skin. 

It  was  customary  in  those  days  for  every  one  to 
take  his  own  provisions  with  him,  and  most  of  those 
who  went  to  the  great  assize  carried  meahbags 
athwart  their  saddles.  Grettir  found  his  horse  at 
last,  but  not  his  meal-bag,  which  had  come  off,  and 
was  lost ; for  the  saddle  was  turned  under  the  belly 
of  his  cob. 

The  horses  could  not  have  strayed  far,  not  only 
because  they  were  hobbled,  but  also  because  the 
Tongue  where  they  had  been  turned  loose  was  a 
narrow  strip  of  land  between  two  rivers ; but  then 
the  slope  was  considerable  in  places,  and  the  meal- 
bag  might  have  rolled  down  into  the  water. 

As  Grettir  was  running  about  hunting  for  his  bag, 
ha  saw  another  man  in  the  same  predicament. 
What  is  more,  he  saw  that  the  rest  of  the  party,  im- 
patient to  get  on  their  way,  would  tarry  no  longer 
for  them,  and  were  defiling  down  the  hill  to  cross 
the  river. 

Grettir  was  in  great  distress.  Just  then  he  saw 
the  man  run  very  directly  in  one  course,  and  at  the 
same  moment  Grettir  saw  something  white  lying 
under  a mass  of  lava.  It  was  towards  this  that  the 


H 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


fellow  was  running.  Grettir  ran  towards  it  also. 
It  was  a meal-sack.  The  man  reached  it  first,  and 
threw  it  over  his  shoulder. 

“ What  have  you  got  there  ? ” asked  Grettir,  com- 
ing up  panting. 

“ My  meal-sack,”  answered  the  fellow. 

“ Let  me  look  at  it,”  said  Grettir.  “ It  may  be 
mine,  not  yours.  Let  me  look  before  you  appro- 
priate it.” 

This  the  man  refused  to  do. 

Grettir’s  suspicion  was  confirmed,  and  he  made  a 
catch  at  the  sack,  and  tried  to  drag  it  away  from 
the  fellow. 

“ Oh,  yes  ! ” sneered  the  man — who  was  a servant 
at  a farm  called  The  Kidge,  in  Waterdale,  and  his 
name  Skeggi, — “ Oh,  yes  ! you  Middlefirthers  think 
you  will  have  everything  your  own  way.” 

“ That  is  not  it,”  answered  Grettir.  “ Let  each 
man  take  his  own.  If  the  sack  be  yours,  keep  it ; 
if  mine,  I will  have  it.” 

“ It  is  a pity  Audun  is  not  here,”  scoffed  the 
serving-man,  “ or  he  would  trip  up  your  heels  and 
throttle  you,  as  he  did  on  the  ice  when  golfing.” 

“ But  as  he  is  not  here,”  retorted  Grettir,  “ you 
are  not  like  to  get  the  better  of  me.” 

Skeggi  suddenly  took  his  ax  by  the  haft  and 
hewed  at  Grettir’s  head.  Grettir  saw  what  he  was 
at,  and  instantly  put  up  his  left  hand  and  caught 
the  handle  below  where  Skeggi’s  hand  held  it, 
wrenched  it  out  of  his  grasp,  and  struck  him  with 
it,  so  that  his  skull  was  cleft.  The  thing  was  done 


OF  THE  RIDE  TO  THINGVALLA.  25 

in  a moment,  and  Grettir  had  done  it  in  self-preser- 
vation and  without  premeditation.  He  was  but  a 
boy  of  fourteen,  and  this  was  a full-grown  stout 
churl. 

Grettir  at  once  seized  the  meal-bag,  saw  it  was 
his  own,  and  threw  it  across  his  saddle.  Then  he 
rode  after  the  company.  Thorkel  Krafla  rode  at  the 
head  of  his  party,  and  he  had  no  misgiving  that 
anything  untoward  had  taken  place. 

But,  when  Grettir  came  riding  up  with  his  meal- 
bag,  the  men  asked  him  if  he  had  left  Skeggi  still 
in  search  of  his.  Grettir  answered  in  song  : 

“ A rock  Troll  did  her  burden  throw 
Down  on  Skeggi’s  skull,  I trow. 

O’er  the  battle-ogress  saw  I flow 
Ruby  rivers  all  aglow. 

She  her  iron  mouth  a-gape 
Did  the  life  of  Skeggi  take. 

This  sounds  like  nonsense ; to  understand  it  one 
must  have  a notion  of  what  constituted  poetry  in 
the  minds  of  Icelanders  and  Northmen.  "With  them 
the  charm  of  poetry  consisted  in  never  calling  any- 
thing by  its  right  name,  but  using  instead  of  it  some 
far-fetched  similitude  or  periphrasis.  Thus — the 
burden  of  the  rock  Troll  is  iron.  The  Troll  is  the 
spirit  of  the  mountain,  and  the  heaviest  thing  found 
in  the  mountain  is  iron.  The  battle-ogress  is  the 
ax  which  bites  in  battle.  The  verses  that  the  Norse 
poets  sang  were  a series  of  conundrums,  and  the 
hearers  puzzled  their  brains  to  make  out  the  sense. 


26 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


This  time  they  soon  understood  what  Grettir  meant, 
and  the  men  turned  and  went  back  to  the  Tongue, 
and  there  found  Skeggi  dead, 

Grettir  went  on  to  Thorkel,  and  in  few  words, 
and  to  the  point,  told  how  things  had  fallen  out. 
He  was  not  the  aggressor.  He  had  merely  defended 
himself. 

Thorkel  was  much  troubled,  and  he  told  Grettir 
that  he  might  either  come  on  to  the  assize  or  go 
home ; that  this  act  of  manslaughter  would  be  in- 
vestigated at  the  law-gathering,  and  judgment  given 
upon  it. 

Grettir  agreed  to  go  on,  and  see  how  matters 
would  turn  out  for  him. 


THE  DOOM-DAY. 


2 7 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  DOOM-DAY. 

That  evening  they  arrived  at  Thingvalla. 

The  great  plain  of  Thingvalla  is  entirely  com- 
posed of  lava.  At  some  remote  period  before  Ice- 
land was  colonize^  a beautiful  snowy  cone  of  moun- 
tain called  “The  Broad  Shield,”  poured  forth  a 
deluge  of  molten  rock,  which  ran  in  a fiery  river 
down  a valley  for  some  miles,  half-choking  it  up 
and  then  spread  out  over  a wide  plain  where  an- 
ciently there  had  been  a great  lake.  Then  all  cooled, 
but  after  the  cooling,  or  whilst  it  was  in  process, 
there  came  a great  crack,  crack.  The  great  mass  of 
lava  must  have  been  poured  over  some  subterranean 
caverns  ; at  any  rate  the  whole  plain  snapped  and 
sank  down  a good  many  feet,  the  lava  becoming 
cracked  and  starred  like  glass.  Nowadays,  one  can- 
not cross  the  plain  becaused  it  is  all  traversed  with 
these  fearful  cracks,  chasms  the  bottom  of  which  is 
filled  with  black  water.  Where  the  plain  sank  deep- 
est there  water  settled  and  formed  the  beautiful 
Thingvalla  Lake. 

At  the  side  of  one  of  the  cracks  where  the  plain 
broke  off  and  sank  is  a very  curious  pinnacle  of 


28 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


black  rock,  and  this  was  called  the  Hanging  Rock, 
as  criminals  were  hung  from  it  over  the  chasm. 

In  one  place  two  of  the  cracks  unite,  and  there  is 
a high  mound  of  blistered  lava  covered  with  turf 
and  flowers  between  them.  That  is  called  the  Law 
Hill,  because  the  judge  and  his  assessors  sat  there, 
and  no  one  could  get  to  them,  nor  could  the  accused 
get  away  across  the  chasms. 

How  it  was  the  law  at  this  time  in  Iceland  that 
when  any  man  had  been  killed  his  nearest  relatives 
came  to  the  assize,  and  the  slayer  appeared  by  proxy 
and  offered  blood-money — that  is  to  say,  to  pay  a 
fine  to  the  relations,  and  so  patch  up  the  quarrel. 
But  if  they  refused  the  money  then  they  were  at 
liberty  to  pursue  and  kill  him.  There  were  no  police 
then.  If  the  relations  wanted  to  have  the  criminal 
punished  they  must  punish  him  themselves. 

Upon  this  occasion  the  case  was  discussed  in  the 
court  on  the  finger  of  rock  between  the  two  chasms, 
the  people  standing  on  the  further  sides  of  these 
gulfs,  listening,  but  unable  to  come  a step  nearer ; 
and  Thorkel  appeared  for  Grettir  and  offered  to  pay 
the  blood-money.  The  relations  of  the  dead  Skeggi, 
after  a little  fuss,  agreed  to  accept  a certain  sum, 
and  Thorkel  at  once  paid  it.  But  the  court  ordered 
that,  as  Grettir  had  acted  with  undue  violence,  and 
as  there  was  no  evidence  except  his  word  that  Skeggi 
had  made  the  first  attack,  he  should  be  outlawed, 
and  leave  Iceland  for  three  winters.  If  he  set  his 
foot  in  Iceland  till  three  winters  had  passed,  his  life 
was  forfeit.  He  was  allowed  a moderate  and  reason- 


THE  DOOM-DAY.  29 

able  time  for  finding  a ship  that  would  take  him  out 
of  the  country. 

When  the  assize  was  over  all  rode  home,  and  the 
way  that  Thorkel  and  Grettir  went  was  up  the  valley 
that  had  been  half-choked  with  the  lava  that  rolled 
down  from  Broad  Shield.  They  came  to  a small 
grassy  plain  with  a gently -sloping  hill  rising  out  of 
it,  a place  where  games  took  place,  the  women  sit- 
ting up  the  slope  and  watching  the  men  below. 
Here  Grettir  is  said  to  have  heaved  an  enormous 
stone.  The  stone  is  still  shown,  and  I have  seen  it. 
I also  know  that  Grettir  never  lifted  it ; for  it  has 
clearly  been  brought  there  by  a glacier.  But  this  is 
an  instance  of  the  way  in  which  stories  get  magni- 
fied in  telling.  No  doubt  that  Grettir  did  “ put  ” 
there  some  big  stone,  and  as  it  happened  that  at  this 
spot  there  was  a great  rock  standing  by  itself 
balanced  on  one  point,  in  after  days  folks  concluded 
that  this  must  have  been  the  stone  thrown  by 
Grettir. 


30 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  VOYAGE. 

Gbettie,  then,  was  doomed  by  the  court  to  leave 
his  native  land  whilst  only  a boy,  and  remain  in 
banishment  for  three  years — that  is  to  say,  till  he 
was  eighteen.  He  was  not  over  sorry  for  this,  as  he 
was  tired  of  being  at  home,  and  he  Avanted  to  see 
the  world. 

There  was  a man  called  Haflid  who  had  a ship  in 
which  he  intended  to  sail  that  autumn  to  Norway, 
and  Asmund  sent  to  him  to  ask  him  to  take  Grettir 
out  with  him.  * 

Haflid  answered  that  he  had  not  heard  a good 
account  of  the  boy  and  did  not  particularly  wish 
to  have  him  in  his  boat ; but  he  would  stretch  a 
point,  because  of  the  regard  he  had  for  old  Asmund, 
and  he  would  take  him. 

Grettir  got  ready  to  start ; but  Asmund  would 
not  give  him  much  where  with  to  trade  Avhen  abroad, 
except  some  rolls  of  home-made  wadmall,  a coarse 
felty  cloth,  and  a stock  of  victuals  for  his  voyage. 
Grettir  asked  his  father  to  give  him  some  Aveapon  ; 
but  the  old  man  answered  that  he  did  not  trust  him 
with  swords  and  axes,  he  might  put  them  to  a bad 


THE  VOYAGE. 


31 


use,  and  it  would  be  better  he  went  without  till  he 
had  learned  to  control  his  temper  and  keep  a check 
on  his  hand. 

So  Grettir  parted  from  his  father  without  much 
love  on  either  side ; and  it  was  noticed  when  he 
left  home  that,  though  there  were  plenty  of  folks 
ready  to  bid  him  farewell,  hardly  any  one  said  that 
he  hoped  to  see  him  come  home  again — a certain 
token  that  he  was  not  liked  by  those  who  had  seen 
most  of  him.  But  indeed  he  had  taken  no  pains  to 
oblige  any  one  and  obtain  the  regard  and  love  of 
any  one. 

His  mother  was  an  exception.  She  went  along 
the  road  down  the  valley  with  him,  wearing  a long 
cloak  ; and  when  they  were  alone,  at  some  distance 
from  the  house,  she  halted  and  drew  out  a sword 
from  under  her  cloak,  and  handing  it  to  Grettir, 
said , “ This  sword  belonged  to  grandfather,  and 
many  a hard  fight  has  it  been  in,  and  much  good 
work  has  it  done.  I give  it  to  you,  and  hope  it  may 
stand  you  in  good  stead.”  _ 

Grettir  was  highly  pleased,  and  told  his  mother 
that  he  would  rather  have  the  sword  than  anything 
else  that  could  be  given  him. 

Haflid  received  Grettir  in  a friendly  manner,  and 
he  went  at  once  on  board ; the  ship’s  anchor  was 
heaved,  and  forth  they  went  to  sea. 

Now,  directly  Grettir  got  on  board  he  looked 
about  for  a place  where  he  could  be  comfortable, 
and  chose  to  make  a berth  for  himself  under  a boat 
that  was  slung  on  deck ; then  he  put  up  his  wadmall, 


32 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


making  a sort  of  felt  lining  or  Avail  round  against 
the  wind  and  spray,  leaving  open  only  the  side  in- 
wards, and  inside  he  piled  his  provisions  and  what- 
ever he  had  ; then  he  lay  down  there  and  did  not 
stir  from  his  snuggery.  Now,  it  was  the  custom  in 
those  days  for  every  man  who  w'ent  in  a ship  to 
help  in  the  navigation  ; but  Grettir  would  not  only 
do  nothing,  but  from  his  den  he  shouted  or  sang 
lampoons — that  is,  spiteful  songs,  making  fun  of 
every  man  on  board.  They  were  not  good-natured, 
jokes,  but  bitter,  stinging  ones. 

Naturally  enough  the  other  men  Avere  annoyed,  and 
they  Avere  not  sIoav  to  tell  Grettir  Avhat  they  thought 
of  him.  He  made  no  other  reply  than  a lampoon. 

After  the  ship  had  lost  sight  of  land  a heavy  sea 
Avas  encountered,  and  unfortunately  the  vessel  Avas 
rather  leaky  and  hardly  seaAvorthy  in  dirty  Aveather. 
The  Aveather  Avas  squally  and  very  cold,  so  that  the 
men  suffered  much.  Moreover,  they  had  to  bale 
out  the  water  from  the  hold,  and  this  Avas  laborious 
work.  They  had  not  pumps  in  those  days. 

The  gale  increased,  and  the  creAV  and  passengers 
had  been  engaged  for  several  days  and  nights  in 
baling  without  intermission,  but  Grettir  would  not 
help.  He  lay  coiled  up  in  his  wadmall  under  the 
boat,  peering  out  at  the  men  and  throAving  irritating 
snatches  of  song  at  them.  This  exasperated  them 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  determined  to  take  him 
and  throw  him  overboard.  Haflid  heard  what  they 
said,  and  he  went  to  Grettir  and  reproached  him, 
and  told  him  what  was  menaced. 


THE  VOYAGE. 


33 


“ Let  them  try  to  use  force  if  they  will,”  said 
Grettir.  “ All  I can  say  is  that  I sha’n’t  go  over- 
board alone  as  long  as  my  sword  will  bite.” 

“ How  can  you  behave  as  you  do  ? ” said  Haflid. 
“ Keep  silence  at  least,  and  do  not  madden  the  men 
with  your  mockery  and  sneers.” 

“ I cannot  hold  my  tongue  from  stabbing,”  said 
Grettir. 

“Very  well,  then,  stab  on,  but  stab  me.” 

“ Ho ; you  have  not  hurt  me.” 

“ I say,  stab  me.  Then,  if  the  fellows  hear  you 
sing  or  say  something  spiteful  of  me,  and  I disre- 
gard it,  they  will  not  mind  so  much  the  ill-natured 
things  you  say  of  them.” 

Grettir  considered  a moment,  and  then,  remem- 
bering that  he  had  heard  of  something  ridiculous 
that  had  once  occurred  to  Haflid,  he  composed  a 
verse  about  it  and  shouted  it  derisively  at  Haflid  as 
he  walked  away. 

“ Just  listen  to  him,”  said  Haflid  to  the  men. 
“ Now  he  is  slandering  and  insulting  me.  He  is  an 
ill-conditioned  cur,  so  ill-conditioned  that  I will  not 
stoop  to  take  notice  of  his  insolence.  And  if  you 
take  my  advice  you  will  disregard  him  as  I do.” 
“‘Well,”  said  the  men,  “if  you  shrug  your 
shoulders  and  pay  no  regard  to  his  bark,  why 
should  we  ? ” 

So  Haflid,  by  his  tact,  smoothed  over  this  diffi- 
culty, and  averted  a danger  from  Grettir’s  head. 

The  weather  slowly  began  to  mend,  and  the  sun 
shone  out  between  the  clouds ; but  the  wind  was 

3 


34 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


still  strong,  and  the  leak  gained  on  the  ship,  for  her 
bottom  was  rotten.  Now  that  the  sun  shone,  the 
poor  women  who  had  been  aboard  and  under  cover 
during  the  gale,  crawled  forth  and  came  to  the  side 
where  the  boat  was,  and  where  was  a little  shelter, 
and  there  sat  sewing ; whilst  Grettir  still  lay,  like  a 
dog  in  his  hutch,  within.  Then  the  men  began  to 
laugh,  and  say  that  Grettir  had  found  suitable 
company  at  last — he  was  not  a man  among  men,  but 
a milksop  among  women.  This  was  turning  the 
tables  on  him,  and  this  roused  him.  Out  he  came 
crawling  from  his  den,  and  ran  aft  to  where  the 
men  were  baling,  and  asked  to  be  given  the  buckets, 
The  way  in  which  it  was  done  was  for  one  to  go 
dowrn  into  the  hold  into  the  water,  and  fill  a tub  or 
cask  and  hoist  it  over  his  head  to  another  man,  who 
carried  it  upon  deck  and  poured  it  over  the  bulwarks. 
Grettir  swung  himself  down  into  the  hold,  and  filled 
and  heaved  so  fast  that  there  had  to  be  two  men  set 
to  carry  up  the  baling  casks,  and  then  two  more,  four 
in  all  attending  to  him.  At  one  time  he  even  kept 
eight  going,  so  vigorously  did  he  work ; — but  then 
he  was  fresh,  and  they  exhausted. 

When  the  men  saw  what  a strong,  active  fellow 
Grettir  was,  they  praised  him  greatly,  and  Grettir, 
unaccustomed  to  praise,  was  delighted  and  worked 
on  vigorously,  and  thenceforth  was  of  the  utmost 
assistance  in  the  ship. 

They  still  had  bad  weather,  thick  mist,  in  which 
they  drifted  and  lost  their  bearings,  and  one  night 
unawares  they  ran  suddenly  on  a rock,  and  the  rot- 


THE  VOYAGE. 


35 

ten  bottom  of  the  ship  was  crushed  in.  They  had 
the  utmost  difficulty  in  rescuing  their  goods  and 
getting  the  boat  ready  ; but  fortunately  they  were 
able  to  put  all  the  women  and  the  loose  goods  into 
the  boat,  man  her,  and  row  off  before  the  ship  went 
to  pieces.  They  came  to  a sandy  island,  ran  the 
boat  ashore,  and  disembarked  in  the  cold  and  wet 
and  darkness. 


36 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW, 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  RED  ROYERS. 

One  morning,  after  a night  of  storm  on  the  coast 
of  Norway,  the  servants  ran  into  the  hall  of  a 
wealthy  bonder,  named  Thorfin,  to  tell  him  that 
during  the  night  a ship  had  been  wrecked  off  the 
coast,  and  that  the  crew  and  passengers  were  crowd- 
ed on  a little  sandy  holm,  and  were  signaling  for 
help. 

The  bonder  sprang  up  and  ran  down  to  the  shore. 
He  ordered  out  a great  punt  from  his  boat-house, 
and  jumping  in  with  his  thralls,  rowed  to  the  holm 
to  rescue  those  who  were  there. 

These  were,  I need  not  tell  you,  the  crew  and  pas- 
sengers of  Haflid’s  merchant  vessel.  Thorfin  took 
the  half-frozen  wretches  on  board  his  boat  and 
rowed  them  to  his  farm,  after  which  he  returned  to 
the  islet  and  brought  away  the  wares.  In  the 
meantime  his  good  housewife  had  been  lighting 
fires,  preparing  beds,  brewing  hot  ale  with  honey  to 
sweeten  it,  and  making  every  preparation  she  could 
think  of  for  the  sufferers. 

Haflid  and  the  rest  of  the  merchants  or  chapmen 
who  had  sailed  Avith  him  remained  at  the  farm  a 


THE  RED  ROVERS. 


37 


week,  whilst  the  women  were  recovering  from  the 
cold  and  exposure  and  their  goods  were  being  dried 
and  sorted.  Then  they  departed,  with  many  thanks 
for  the  hospitality  shown  them,  on  their  way  to 
Drontheim. 

Grettir,  however,  remained.  Thorfin,  the  master 
of  the  house,  did  not  much  like  him.  He  did  not 
ask  him  to  stay ; but  then  he  had  not  the  lack  of 
hospitality  to  bid  him  depart.  In  the  farm  Grettir 
never  offered  to  lend  a hand  in  any  of  the  work ; he 
never  joined  in  conversation,  he  sat  over  the  fire 
warming  himself,  and  ate  and  drank  heartily. 

Thorfin  was  much  abroad,  hunting  or  seeing  after 
the  wood-cutting,  and  he  often  asked  Grettir  to 
come  with  him.  But  he  was  granted  no  other 
answer  than  a shake  of  the  head  and  a growl.  How 
the  bonder  was  a merry,  kindly-hearted  fellow,  and 
he  liked  to  have  all  about  him  cheerful.  It  is  no 
wonder,  then,  that  Grettir,  morose  and  indolent, 
found  no  favor  with  him. 

Yule  drew  near,  and  Thorfin  busked  him  to  de- 
part, with  a number  of  his  attendants,  to  keep  the 
festival  at  one  of  his  farms  distant  a good  day’s 
journey.  His  wife  was  unable  to  accompany  him, 
as  his  eldest  daughter  was  ill  and  needed  careful 
nursing.  Grettir  he  did  not  invite,  as  his  sullenness 
would  have  acted  as  a damper  on  the  joviality  of 
the  banquet. 

The  farmer  started  for  his  house  where  he  was 
going  to  spend  Yule  some  days  before.  A large 
company  of  guests  were  invited  to  meet  him,  so 


38  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

he  took  thirty  serving-men  to  attend  on  him  and 
them. 

Norway  was  at  this  time  being  brought  into  order 
by  Earl  Erik,  who  was  putting  down  with  a high 
hand  the  bands  of  rovers  who  had  been  the  terror 
of  the  country.  He  had  outlawed  all  these  men, 
and  that  meant  that  whoever  killed  them  could  not 
be  fined  or  punished  in  any  way  for  the  slaying. 
Now  Thorfin,  the  farmer  with  whom  Grettir  was 
staying,  had  been  very  active  against  these  rovers, 
and  they  bore  him  a grudge.  Among  the  worst  of 
them  were  two  brothers,  Thorir  wi’  the  Paunch  and 
Bad  Ogmund.  They  had  not  yet  been  caught,  and 
they  defied  the  power  of  the  Earl.  They  robbed 
wherever  they  went,  burned  farms  over  the  heads 
of  the  sleeping  inmates,  and  with  the  points  of  their 
spears  drove  the  shrieking  victims  back  into  the 
flames  when  they  attempted  to  escape. 

Christmas  Eve  was  bright  and  sunny,  and  the 
sick  girl  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  brought 
out  to  take  the  air  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  great 
hall,  leaning  on  her  mother’s  arm. 

Grettir  spent  the  whole  day  out  of  doors,  not  in 
the  most  amiable  mood  at  being  shut  out  from  the 
merry-makings,  and  left  to  keep  house  with  the 
women  and  eight  dunderheaded  churls.  He  fed  his 
discontent  by  sitting  on  a headland  watching  the 
boats  glide  by,  as  parties  went  to  convivial  gather- 
ings at  the  houses  of  their  friends.  The  deep  blue 
sea  was  speckled  with  sails,  as  though  gulls  were 
plunging  in  the  waters.  Now  a stately  dragon-ship 


THE  RED  ROVERS. 


39 


rolled  past,  her  fearful  carved  head  glittering  with 
golden  scales,  her  sails  spread  like  wings  before  the 
breeze,  and  her  banks  of  oars  dipping  into  the  sea 
and  flashing  as  they  rose.  Now  a wherry  was 
rowed  by  laden  with  cakes  and  ale,  and  the  boat- 
men’s song  rang  merrily  through  the  crisp  air. 

The  day  began  to  decline,  and  Grettir  was  on  the 
point  of  returning  to  the  farm,  when  the  strange 
proceedings  of  a craft  at  no  great  distance  attracted 
his  attention.  He  noticed  that  she  stole  along  in 
the  shadows  of  the  islets,  keeping  out  of  sight  as 
much  as  possible.  Grettir  could  make  out  of  her 
just  this  much,  that  she  was  floating  low  in  the 
water,  and  was  built  for  speed.  As  she  stranded 
the  rowers  jumped  on  the  beach.  Grettir  counted 
them,  and  found  they  were  twelve,  all  armed  men. 
They  burst  into  Thorfin’s  boat-house,  thrust  out  his 
punt,  and  in  its  place  drew  in  their  own  vessel,  and 
pulled  her  up  on  the  rollers. 

Mischief  was  a-brewing — that  was  clear.  So 
Grettir  went  down  the  hill,  and  sauntered  up  to  the 
strangers,  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  kicking  the 
pebbles  before  him. 

“ Who  is  your  leader  ? ” he  asked  curtly. 

“ I am.  What  do  you  want  with  me  % ” answered 
a stout  coarse  man — “ Thorir,  whom  they  nickname 
4 wi’  the  Paunch.’  Here  is  my  brother  Ogmund. 
I reckon  that  Thorfin  knows  our  names  well  enough. 
Don’t  you  think  so,  brother  ? We  have  come  here 
to  settle  a little  outstanding  reckoning.  Is  he  at 
home  ? ” 


40 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


“ You  are  lucky  fellows,”  laughed  Grettir,  “ com- 
ing here  in  the  very  nick  of  time.  The  bonder  is 
away  with  all  his  able-bodied  and  fighting  men,  and 
won’t  be  back  for  a couple  of  days.  His  wife  and 
daughter  are,  however,  at  the  farm.  How  is  your 
time  if  you  have  old  scores  to  wipe  off  ; for  he  has 
left  all  his  things  that  he  values  unprotected,  silver, 
clothing,  ale,  and  food  in  abundance.” 

Thorir  listened,  then  turning  to  Ogmund  he  said, 
“ This  is  as  I had  expected.  But  what  a chatter- 
box this  fellow  is,  he  lets  out  everything  without 
being  asked  questions.” 

“ Every  man  knows  the  use  of  his  tongue,”  said 
Grettir.  “ How,  follow  me,  and  I will  do  what  I 
can  for  you.” 

The  rovers  at  once  followed.  Then  Grettir  took 
fat  Thorir  by  the  hand  and  led  him  to  the  farm, 
talking  all  the  way  as  hard  as  his  tongue  could  wag. 
How  the  housewife  happened  at  the  time  to  be  in 
the  hall,  and  hearing  Grettir  thus  talking,  she  was 
filled  with  surprise,  and  called  out  to  know  whom 
he  had  with  him. 

“ I have  brought  you  guests  for  Yule,”  said  Grettir. 
“We  shall  not  keep  it  in  as  dull  a fashion  as  we 
feared.  Here  come  visitors  uninvited,  but  merry, 
uncommon  merry.” 

“ Who  are  they  ?”  asked  the  housewife. 

“ Thorir  wi’  the  Paunch  and  Ogmund  the  Bad, 
and  ten  of  their  comrades.” 

Then  she  cried  out : “ What  have  you  done  ? These 
are  the  worst  ruffians  in  all  Horway.  Is  this  the 


THE  RED  ROVERS. 


41 


way  you  repay  the  kindness  Thorfin  has  shown  you 
in  housing  and  keeping  you  here,  without  it’s  cost- 
ing you  anything?  ” 

“ Stay  your  woman’s  tongue  ! ” growled  Grettir. 
“ Now  bestir  yourself  and  bring  out  dry  clothes  for 
the  guests.” 

Then  the  housewife  ran  away  crying,  and  her 
sick  daughter,  who  saw  the  house  invaded  by  ill-look- 
ing men  all  armed,  hid  herself. 

“Well,”  said  Grettir,  “ as  the  women  are  too 
scared  to  attend  on  you,  I will  do  what  is  necessary  ; 
so  give  me  your  wet  clothes,  and  let  me  wipe  your 
weapons  and  set  them  by  the  fire  lest  they  get 
rusted.” 

“ You  are  a different  fellow  from  all  the  rest  in  the 
house.” 

“ I do  not  belong  to  the  house.  I am  a stranger, 
an  Icelander.” 

“ Then  I don’t  mind  taking  you  along  with  us 
when  we  go  away.” 

“ As  you  will,”  answered  the  young  fellow  ; “ only 
mind,  I don’t  behave  like  this  to  every  one.” 

Then  the  freebooters  gave  him  their  weapons,  and 
he  wiped  the  salt  water  from  them,  and  laid  them 
aside  in  a warm  spot.  Next  he  removed  their  wet 
garments,  and  brought  them  dry  suits  which  he 
routed  out  of  the  clothes-chests  belonging  to  Thorfin 
and  his  men. 

By  this  time  it  was  night.  Grettir  brought  in 
logs  and  fagots  of  fir  branches,  and  made  a roaring 
fire  that  filled  the  great  hall  with  ruddy  light  and 


42 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


warmth.  In  those  days  the  halls  were  long  buildings 
with  a set  of  hearths  running  down  the  middle,  and 
benches  beside  the  fires. 

“ Now,  then,  my  men,”  said  Grettir,  “ come  to 
the  table  and  drink,  for  I doubt  not  you  are  thirsty 
with  long  rowing. 

“We  are  ready,”  said  they.  “But  where  are  the 
cellars  ? ” 

“ Oh,  if  you  please,  I will  bring  yqu  ale.” 

“ Certainly,  you  shall  attend  on  us,”  said  Thorir. 

Then  Grettir  went  and  fetched  the  best  and 
strongest  ale  in  Thorfin’s  cellars,  and  poured  it  out 
for  the  men.  They  were  very  tired  and  thirsty, 
and  they  drank  eagerly.  Grettir  did  not  stint  them 
in  meat  or  drink,  and  at  last  he  took  his  place  by 
them,  and  recited  many  tales  that  made  them  laugh, 
he  also  sang  them  songs;  but  they  were  becoming 
fast  too  tipsy  to  rack  their  brains  to  find  out  the 
meaning  in  the  poetry. 

Not  one  of  the  house-churls  showed  his  face  in  the 
hall  that  evening ; they  slunk  about  the  farm,  in  the 
stables  and  sheds,  frightened  and  trembling. 

Then  said  Thorir : “ I’ll  tell  you  what,  my  men. 
I like  this  young  chap,  and  I doubt  our  finding 
another  so  handy  and  willing.  What  say  you  all  to 
our  taking  him  into  our  band  ? ” 

The  pirates  banged  their  drinking-horns  on  the 
table  in  token  of  approval.  Then  Grettir  stood  up 
and  said : 

“ I thank  you  for  the  offer,  and  if  you  are  in  the 
same  mind  to-morrow  morning  when  the  ale  is  no 


THE  RED  ROVERS.  43 

longer  in  your  heads,  I will  strike  hands  and  go 
with  you.” 

“ Let  us  drink  brotherhood  at  once,”  shouted  the 
rovers. 

“ Not  so,”  said  Grettir  calmly.  “ I will  not  have 
it  said  that  I took  advantage  of  you  when  you  were 
not  sober.  It  is  said  that  when  the  wine  is  in  the 
wit  is  out.” 

They  all  protested  that  they  would  be  of  the  same 
mind  next  morning,  but  Grettir  stuck  to  his  de- 
cision. They  were  now  becoming  so  tipsy  that  he 
proposed  they  should  go  to  bed. 

“ But  first  of  all,”  said  he,  “ I think  you  will  like 
to  run  your  eyes  over  Thorfin’s  storehouse  where  he 
keeps  all  his  treasures.” 

“ That  we  shall ! ” roared  Thorir,  staggering  to 
his  feet. 

Then  Grettir  took  a blazing  firebrand  from  the 
hearth,  and  led  the  way  out  of  the  hall  into  the 
night. 

The  storehouse  was  detached  from  the  main  build- 
ings. It  was  very  strongly  built  of  massive  logs, 
firmly  mortised  together.  The  door  also  was  very 
solid,  and  the  whole  stood  on  a strong  stone  base- 
ment, and  a flight  of  stone  steps  led  up  to  the  door. 
Adjoining  the  storehouse  was  a lean-to  building 
divided  off  from  it  by  a partition  of  planks. 

The  sharp  frosty  air  of  night  striking  on  the  faces 
of  the  revelers  increased  their  intoxication,  and  they 
became  very  riotous,  staggering  against  each  other, 
uttering  howls  and  attempting  to  sing. 


44 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


Drawing  back  the  bolt  Grettir  flung  the  door  open, 
and  showed  the  twelve  rovers  into  the  treasury ; and 
he  held  the  flaming  torch  above  his  head  and  showed 
the  silver-mounted  drinking-horns,  the  embroidered 
garments,  the  rich  fur  mantles,  gold  bracelets,  and 
bags  filled  with  silver  coins  obtained  from  England. 
The  drunken  men  dashed  upon  the  spoil,  knocking 
each  other  over  and  quarreling  for  the  goods  they 
wanted. 

In  the  midst  of  this  noise  and  tumult  Grettir 
quietly  extinguished  the  torch,  stepped  outside  and 
ran  the  bolt  into  its  place  ; he  had  shut  them  all — 
all  twelve,  into  the  strong-room,  and  not  one  of  them 
had  his  weapons  about  him. 

Then  Grettir  ran  to  the  farm  door  and  shouted 
for  the  housewife.  But  she  would  not  answer,  as 
she  mistrusted  him ; and  no  wonder,  for  he  had 
seemed  to  be  hand  and  glove  with  the  pirates. 

“ Come,  come ! ” shouted  Grettir,  “ I have  caught 
all  twelve,  and  all  I need  now  are  weapons.  Call 
up  the  thralls  and  arm  them.  Quick!  not  a mo- 
ment must  be  lost.” 

“ There  are  plenty  of  weapons  here,”  answered 
the  poor  woman,  emerging  from  her  place  of  con- 
cealment. “ But,  Grettir,  I mistrust  you.” 

“ Trust  or  no  trust,”  said  Grettir,  “ I must  have 
weapons.  Where  are  the  serving  men  ? Here,  Kol- 
bein ! Swein ! Gamli ! Kolf ! Confound  the  rascals, 
where  are  they  skulking  ? ” 

“ Over  Thorfin’s  bed  hangs  a great  barbed  spear,” 
said  the  housewife.  “You  will  also  find  a sword 


THE  RED  ROVERS.  45 

and  helmet  and  cuirass.  No  lack  of  weapons,  only 
pluck  to  wield  them  is  needed.55 

Grettir  seized  the  casque  and  spear,  girded  on  the 
sword  and  dashed  into  the  yard,  begging  the  woman 
to  send  the  churls  after  him.  She  called  the  eight 
men,  and  they  came  up  timidly — that  is  to  say,  four 
appeared  and  took  the  weapons,  but  the  other  four, 
after  showing  their  faces,  ran  and  hid  themselves 
again,  they  were  afraid  to  measure  swords  with 
the  terrible  rovers. 

In  the  meantime  the  pirates  had  been  trying  the 
door,  but  it  was  too  massive  for  them  to  break 
through,  so  they  tore  down  the  partitions  of  boards 
between  the  store  and  the  lean-to  room  at  the  side. 
They  were  mad  with  drink  and  fury.  They  broke 
down  the  door  of  the  side-room  easily  enough,  and 
came  out  on  the  platform  at  the  head  of  the  stone 
steps  just  as  G rettir  reached  the  bottom. 

Thorir  and  Ogmund  were  together.  In  the  fitful 
gleams  of  the  moon  they  seemed  like  demons  as  they 
scrambled  out,  armed  with  splinters  of  deal  they  had 
broken  from  the  planks  and  turned  into  weapons. 
The  brothers  plunged  down  the  narrow  stairs  with  a 
howl  that  rang  though  the  snow-clad  forest  for  miles. 
Grettir  planted  the  boar-spear  in  the  ground  and 
caught  Thorir  on  its  point.  The  sharp  double-edged 
blade  three  feet  in  length,  sliced  into  him  and  came 
out  between  his  shoulders,  then  tore  into  Ogmund’s 
breast  a span  deep.  The  yew  shaft  bent  like  a bow, 
and  flipped  from  the  ground  the  stone  against  which 
the  butt-end  had  been  planted.  The  wretched  men 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


46 

crashed  over  the  stair,  tried  to  rise,  staggered,  and 
fell  again.  Grettir  trod  on  Thorir,  wrenched  the 
spear  out  of  him,  and  then  running  up  the  steps  cut 
down  another  rover  as  he  came  through  the  door. 
Then  the  rest  came  out  stumbling  over  each  other, 
some  armed  with  bits  of  broken  stick,  others  unarmed, 
and  as  they  came  forth  Grettir  hewed  at  them  with 
the  sword,  or  thrust  at  them  with  the  spear. 

In  the  meantime  the  churls  had  come  up,  armed 
indeed,  but  not  knowing  how  to  use  the  weapons, 
and  in  a condition  of  too  great  terror  to  use  them 
to  any  purpose.  The  pirates  saw  that  they  were 
being  worsted,  and  their  danger  sobered  them.  They 
went  back  into  the  room  and  ripped  the  planks  till 
they  had  obtained  serviceable  pieces,  and  then  came 
two  together  down  the  stair,  warding  off  Grettir’s 
blows  with  their  sticks,  and  not  attempting  to  strike. 
Then  they  forced  him  back  and  allowed  space  and 
time  for  those  behind  to  leap  down  to  the  ground. 
If  then  they  had  combined  they  might  have  recov- 
ered the  mastery,  but  they  did  not  believe  that  they 
were  assailed  by  a single  enemy,  they  thought  that 
there  must  have  been  many  ; consequently  those  who 
had  leaped  from  the  platform,  instead  of  attacking 
Grettir  from  behind,  ran  away  across  the  farmyard^ 
and  those  who  were  warding  off  his  blows,  finding 
themselves  unsupported,  lost  heart,  and  leaped  down 
as  well  and  attempted  to  escape.  The  yard  was  full 
of  flying  frightened  wretches,  too  blind  by  their 
fear  to  find  the  gate,  and  in  the  wildness  of  their 
terror  they  climbed  or  leaped  over  the  yard  wall  and 


THE  RED  ROVERS. 


47 


ran  towards  the  boat-house.  Grettir  went  after 
them.  They  plunged  into  the  dark  boat-shed,  and 
possessed  themselves  of  the  oars,  whilst  some  tried 
to  run  their  boat  down  into  the  water.  Grettir  fol- 
lowed them  in  the  gloom,  smiting  to  right  and  left. 
The  bewildered  wretches  in  the  darkness  hit  each 
other,  stumbled  and  fell  in  the  boat,  and  some 
wounded  went  into  the  water. 

The  thralls,  content  that  the  pirates  had  cleared 
out  of  the  yard,  did  not  trouble  themselves  to  pursue 
them,  but  went  into  the  farmhouse.  The  good 
woman  in  vain  urged  them  to  go  after  and  suc- 
cor Grettir.  They  thought  they  had  done  quite 
enough.  It  is  true,  they  had  neither  killed  nor 
wounded  any  one,  but  they  had  seen  some  men  killed. 
So  Grettir  got  no  help  from  them.  He  was  still  in  the 
boat-house,  and  he  had  this  advantage  : the  boat- 
house was  open  to  the  air  on  the  side  that  faced  the 
sea,  whilst  the  further  side  was  closed  with  a door, 
consequently  Grettir  was  himself  in  shadow.  But 
the  moon  shone  on  the  water,  and  he  could  see  the 
black  figures  of  the  rovers  cut  sharply  against  this 
silver  background.  So  he  could  see  where  to  strike, 
whilst  he  himself  was  unseen. 

One  stroke  from  an  oar  reached  him  on  the 
shoulder,  and  for  the  moment  numbed  his  arm  ; but 
he  speedily  recovered  sensation,  and  killed  two  more 
of  the  ruffians ; then  the  remaining  four  made  a 
dash  together  past  him,  through  the  door,  and  sep- 
arating into  pairs,  fled  in  opposite  directions.  Grettir 
went  after  one  of  the  couples  and  tracked  them  to  a 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


48 

neighboring  farm,  where  they  dashed  into  a granary 
and  hid  among  the  straw.  Unfortunately  for  them 
most  of  the  wheat  had  been  thrashed  out,  so  that 
only  a few  bundles  remained.  Grettir  shut  and 
bolted  the  door  behind  him,  then  chased  the  poor 
wretches  like  rats  from  corner  to  corner,  till  he  had 
cut  them  both  down.  Then  he  opened  the  door  and 
cast  the  corpses  outside. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  weather  was  changing,  the 
sky  had  become  overcast  with  a thick  snow  fog  that 
rolled  up  from  the  sea,  so  that  Grettir,  on  coming 
out,  saw  that  he  must  abandon  the  pursuit  of  the 
remaining  two.  Moreover,  his  arm  pained  him,  his 
strength  was  failing  him,  and  a sense  of  overpower- 
ing fatigue  stole  over  him. 

The  housewife  had  placed  a lamp  in  a window  of 
a loft  as  a guide  to  Grettir  in  the  fog ; the  stupid 
house-thralls  could  not  be  induced  by  her  to  go  out 
in  search  of  him,  and  she  was  becoming  uneasy  at 
Jiis  protracted  absence.  The  fog  turned  into  small 
snow,  thick  and  blinding,  and  Grettir  struggled 
through  it  with  difficulty,  as  the  weariness  he  felt 
became  almost  overpowering.  At  last  he  reached 
the  farm  and  staggered  in  through  the  door.  He 
could  hardly  speak.  He  went  to  the  table,  took  a 
horn  of  mead,  drank  some,  and  then  threw  himself 
down  among  the  rushes  on  the  floor  by  the  fire,  full 
armed  grasping  the  sword,  and  in  a moment  was 
asleep. 

He  did  not  wake  for  twelve  hours ; but  the 
cautious  and  prudent  housewife  had  sent  out  the 


THE  RED  ROVERS. 


49 


carles  in  search  of  the  pirates.  The  dead  bodies 
were  found,  some  in  the  yard,  some  in  the  boat- 
house ; then  Grettir  woke  and  came  to  them  and 
pointed  out  in  what  direction  the  only  remaining 
two  had  run.  The  snow  had  fallen  so  thick  that 
their  traces  could  not  be  followed,  but  before  night- 
fall they  were  discovered,  dead,  under  a rock  where 
they  had  taken  refuge ; they  had  died  of  cold  and 
loss  of  blood.  All  the  bodies  were  collected  and  a 
great  cairn  of  stones  was  piled  over  them. 

When  they  had  been  buried,  then  the  housewife 
made  Grettir  take  the  high  seat  in  the  hall,  and  she 
treated  him  with  the  utmost  respect,  as  he  deserved. 

Time  passed,  and  Thorfin  prepared  to  return 
home ; he  dismissed  his  guests,  and  he  and  his  men 
got  into  their  boat  to  return  home.  No  tidings 
had  reached  him  of  the  events  that  had  happened 
whilst  he  had  been  away.  The  first  thing  he  saw 
as  he  came  rowing  to  his  harbor  was  his  punt  lying 
stranded.  This  surprised  and  alarmed  him,  and  he 
bade  his  men  row  harder.  They  ran  to  the  boat- 
house, and  then  saw  it  occupied  by  a vessel,  on  the 
rollers,  which  there  was  no  mistaking ; he  knew  it 
well,  it  belonged  to  those  redoubted  pirates  Thorir 
and  Ogmund.  For  a moment  he  was  silent  with 
the  terror  and  grief  that  came  on  him.  “The  Red 
Rovers ! ” he  said,  when  he  recovered  the  stunning 
sense  of  alarm.  “ The  Red  Rovers  are  here — they 
are  on  my  farm.  God  grant  they  have  not  hurt  my 
wife  and  daughter ! ” 

Then  he  considered  what  was  to  be  done,  whether 

4 


5o 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


it  was  best  to  go  at  once  to  the  farm,  or  to  make  a 
secret  approach  to  it  from  different  quarters,  and 
surprise  the  enemy. 

Grettir  was  to  blame.  He  ought  not  to  have 
allowed  Thorfin  to  be  thus  thrown  into  uncertainty 
and  distress.  He  had  seen  the  master’s  boat  round 
the  headland  and  enter  the  bay,  but  he  would  neither 
go  himself  to  meet  him  on  the  strand,  nor  suffer 
any  one  else  to  go. 

“ I do  not  care  even  if  the  bonder  be  a bit  dis- 
turbed at  what  he  sees,”  said  the  young  man. 

“ Then  let  me  go,”  urged  the  wife. 

“ You  are  mistress,  do  as  you  like,”  said  Grettir 
bluntly. 

So  the  housewife  and  her  daughter  went  down 
towards  the  boat-house,  and  when  Thorfin  saw  them 
he  ran  to  meet  them,  greatly  relieved  but  much 
perplexed,  and  he  clasped  his  wife  to  his  heart  and 
said,'“  God  be  praised  that  you  and  my  child  are 
safe  ! But  tell  me  how  matters  have  stood  whilst  I 
have  been  away,  for  I cannot  understand  the  boat 
being  where  I found  it.” 

“We  have  been  in  grievous  peril,”  answered  his 
wife.  “ But  the  shipwrecked  boy  whom  you  shel- 
tered has  been  our  protector,  better  than  a dozen 
men.” 

Then  he  said,  “ Sit  down  on  this  rock  by  me  and 
tell  me  all.” 

They  took  each  other  by  the  hand  and  sat  on  a 
stone ; and  the  attendants  gathered  round,  and  the 
housewife  told  them  the  whole  story  from  beginning 


THE  RED  ROVERS. 


51 


to  end.  When  she  spoke  of  the  way  in  which  the 
young  Icelander  had  led  the  tipsy  rovers  into  the 
storehouse  and  fastened  them  in,  without  their 
swords,  the  men  burst  into  a shout  of  joy  ; and  when 
her  tale  was  concluded,  their  exultant  cries  rang 
so  loud  that  Grettir  heard  them  in  the  farmhouse. 

Thorfin  said  nothing  to  interrupt  the  thread  of 
his  wife’s  story  ; and  after  she  had  done  he  remained 
silent,  rapt  in  thought.  No  one  ventured  to  disturb 
him.  Presently  he  looked  up,  and  said  quietly, 
“That  is  a good  proverb  which  says,  ‘Never  de- 
spair of  any  one.’  Now  I must  speak  a word  with 
Grettir.” 

Thorfin  walked  with  his  wife  to  the  farm,  and 
when  he  saw  Grettir  he  held  out  both  his  hands  to 
him,  and  thanked  him. 

“ This  I say  to  you,”  said  Thorfin,  “ which  few 
would  say  to  their  best  of  friends — that  I hope  some 
day  you  may  need  my  help,  and  then  I will  prove 
to  you  how  thankful  I am  for  what  you  have  done. 
I can  say  no  more.” 

Grettir  thanked  him,  and  spent  the  rest  of  the 
winter  at  his  house.  The  story  of  what  he  had  done 
spread  through  all  the  country,  and  was  much 
praised,  especially  by  such  as  had  suffered  from  the 
violence  of  the  Red  Rovers.  But  Thorfin  made  to 
Grettir  a present,  in  acknowledgment  of  what  he 
had  done  ; and  that  present  was  the  sword  that  had 
hung  above  his  bed,  with  which  Grettir  had  killed 
so  many  of  the  rovers.  Now  concerning  this  sword 
a tale  has  to  be  told. 


52 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  STOEY  OF  THE  SWOKD. 

Some  little  while  before  the  slaying  of  the  Red 
Rovers,  a strange  event  had  taken  place. 

Grettir  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  a man  called 
Audun,  who  lived  at  a little  farm  at  some  distance 
from  the  house  of  Thorfin,  and  he  walked  over 
there  occasionally  to  sit  and  talk  with  his  friend. 
As  he  returned  late  at  night  he  noticed  that  a strange 
light  used  to  dance  at  the  end  of  a cliff  that  over- 
hung the  sea,  at  the  end  of  a headland ; a lonely 
desolate  headland  it  was,  without  house  or  stall  near 
it.  Grettir  had  never  been  there,  and  as  it  was  so 
bare,  he  knew  that  no  one  lived  on  that  headland, 
so  he  could  not  account  for  the  light.  One  day  he 
said  to  Audun  that  he  had  seen  this  strange  light, 
which  was  not  steady  but  flickered ; and  he  asked 
him  what  it  meant. 

Audun  at  once  became  very  grave,  and  after  a 
moment’s  hesitation  said,  “ You  are  right.  No  one 
lives  on  that  ness,  but  there  is  a great  mound  there, 
under  which  is  buried  Karr  the  Old,  the  forefather 
of  your  host  Thorfin  ; and  it  is  said  that  much  treas- 
ure was  buried  with  him.  That  is  why  the  ghostly 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SWORD.  53 

light  burns  above  the  mound,  for — you  must  know 
that  flames  dance  over  hidden  treasure.” 

“ If  treasure  be  hidden  there,  I will  dig  it  up,” 
said  Grettir. 

“ Attempt  nothing  of  the  kind,”  said  Audun,  “or 
Thorfin  will  be  angry.  Besides,  Karr  the  Old  is  a 
dangerous  fellow  to  have  to  deal  with.  He  walks 
at  night,  and  haunts  all  that  headland  and  has  scared 
away  the  d wellers  in  the  nearest  farms.  Ho  one  dare 
live  there  because  of  him.  That  is  why  the  Hess  is 
all  desolate  without  houses.” 

“ I will  stay  the  night  here,”  said  Grettir,  “ and 
to-morrow  we  will  go  together  to  the  Hess,  and  take 
spade  and  pick  and  a rope,  and  I will  see  what  can 
be  found.” 

Audun  did  not  relish  the  proposal,  but  he  did  not 
like  to  seem  behindhand  with  Grettir,  and  he  re- 
luctantly agreed  to  go  with  him. 

So  next  day  the  two  went  out  on  the  Hess  together. 
They  passed  two  ruined  farmhouses,  the  buildings 
rotting,  the  roofs  fallen  in.  Those  who  had  lived  in 
them  had  been  driven  away  by  the  dweller  in  the 
old  burial  mound,  or  barrow.  The  Horse  name  for 
these  sepulchral  mounds  is  Ilaug , pronounced  almost 
like  How ; and  where  in  England  we  have  places 
with  the  names  ending  in  hoe , there  undoubtedly  in 
former  times  were  such  mounds.  Thus,  in  Essex  are 
Langenhoe  and  Fingringhoe,  that  is  to  say  the  Long 
Barrow  and  Fingar’s  How.  Also,  the  Hoe,  the  great 
walk  at  Plymouth  above  the  sea,  derives  its  name 
from  some  old  burial  mound  now  long  ago  destroyed. 


54 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


The  Hess  was  a finger  of  land  running  out  into 
the  sea,  and  on  it  grew  no  trees,  only  a little  coarse 
grass ; at  the  end  rose  a great  circular  bell-shaped 
mound,  with  a ring  of  stones  set  round  it,  to  mark 
its  circumference.  Grettir  began  to  dig  at  the 
summit,  and  he  worked  hard.  The  day  was  short, 
and  the  sun  was  touching  the  sea  as  his  pickax 
went  through  an  oak  plank,  into  a hollow  space 
beneath,  and  he  knew  at  once  that  he  had  struck 
into  the  chamber  of  the  dead.  He  worked  with  re- 
doubled energy,  and  tore  away  the  planks,  leaving 
a black  hole  beneath  of  unknown  depth,  but  Avhich 
to  his  thinking  could  not  be  more  than  seven  feet 
beneath  him.  Then  he  called  to  Audun  for  the 
rope.  The  end  he  fastened  round  his  waist,  and 
bade  his  friend  secure  the  other  end  to  a pole  thrown 
across  the  pit  mouth.  When  this  was  done,  Audun 
cautiously  let  Grettir  down  into  the  chamber  of  the 
dead. 

How,  you  must  know  that  in  heathen  times  Avhat 
was  often  done  with  old  Avarriors  Avas  to  draAV  up  a 
boat  on  the  shore,  and  to  seat  the  dead  man  in  the 
cabin,  with  his  horse  slain  beside  him,  sometimes 
some  of  his  slaves  or  thralls  Avere  also  killed  and  put 
in  with  him,  and  his  choicest  treasures  were  heaped 
about  him.  This  men  did  because  they  thought 
that  the  dead  man  Avould  want  his  weapons,  his 
raiment,  his  ornaments,  his  horse  and  his  servants 
in  the  spirit  world.  Of  late  years  such  a mound 
has  been  opened  in  Norway,  and  a great  ship  found 
in  it,  well  preserved,  with  the  old  dead  chief’s  bones 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SWORD.  55 

in  it.  When  a ship  was  not  buried,  then  a chamber 
of  strong  planks  was  built,  and  he  was  put  in  that, 
and  the  earth  heaped  over  him.  Into  such  a chamber 
had  Grettir  now  dug. 

He  soon  reached  the  bottom,  and  was  in  darkness, 
only  a little  light  came  in  from  above,  through  the 
hole  he  had  broken  in  the  roof  of  the  cabin  or 
chamber.  His  feet  were  among  bones,  and  these  he 
was  quite  sure  were  horse  bones.  Then  he  groped 
about. 

As  his  eyes  became  more  accustomed  to  the  dark- 
ness, he  discerned  a figure  seated  in  a throne.  It 
was  the  long-dead  Karr  the  Old.  He  was  in  full 
harness,  with  a helmet  on  his  head  with  bull’s  horns 
sticking  out,  one  on  each  side  ; his  hands  were  on 
his  knees,  and  his  feet  on  a great  chest.  Hound  his 
neck  was  a gold  torque  or  necklet,  made  of  bars  of 
twisted  gold,  hooked  together  behind  the  head. 
Grettir  in  the  dark  could  only  just  make  out  the 
glimmer  of  the  gold,  but  it  seemed  to  him  that  a 
phosphorescent  light  played  about  the  face  of  the 
dead  chief. 

So  little  light  was  left,  that  Grettir  hastened  to 
collect  what  he  could.  There  stood  a brazen  vessel 
near  the  chair,  in  which  were  various  articles,  prob- 
ably of  worth,  but  it  was  too  dark  for  Grettir  to  see 
what  they  were.  He  brought  the  vessel  to  the  rope 
and  fastened  the  end  of  the  cord  to  its  handle.  Then 
he  went  back  to  the  old  dead  man  and  drew  away  a 
short  sword  that  lay  on  his  lap,  and  this  he  placed 
in  the  brass  vessel.  Next  he  began  to  unhook  the 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


56 

gold  torque  from  his  neck,  and  as  he  did  this  the 
phosphorescent  flame  glared  strangely  about  the  dead 
man’s  face. 

Then,  all  at  once,  as  both  his  hands  were  engaged 
undoing  the  hook  behind  Karr’s  neck,  he  was  clipped. 
The  dead  man’s  arms  had  clutched  him,  and  with  a 
roar  like  a bull  Karr  the  Old  stood  up,  holding  him 
fast,  and  now  all  the  light  that  had  played  oyer 
his  features  gathered  into  and  glared  out  of  his 
eyes. 

When  Audun  heard  the  roar,  he  was  so  frightened 
that  he  ran  from  his  barrow,  and  did  not  stay  his 
feet  till  he  reached  home,  feeling  convinced  that  the 
ghost  or  whatever  it  was  that  lived  in  the  tomb  had 
torn  Grettir  to  pieces. 

Then  began  in  the  chamber  of  the  dead  a fearful 
wrestle.  Grettir  was  at  times  nigh  on  smothered 
by  the  gray  beard  of  the  dead  chief,  that  had  been 
growing,  growing,  in  the  vault,  ever  since  he  had 
been  buried. 

How  long  that  terrible  struggle  continued  no  one 
can  tell.  Grettir  had  to  use  his  utmost  force  to 
stand  against  Karr  the  Old.  The  two  wrestled  up 
and  down  in  the  chamber,  kicking  the  horse  bones 
about  from  side  to  side,  stumbling  over  the  coffer, 
and  the  brass  vessel,  and  the  horse’s  skull,  striking 
against  the  sides,  and  when  they  did  this  then  masses 
of  earth  and  portions  of  broken  plank  fell  in  from 
above. 

At  last  Karr’s  feet  gave  way  under  him  and  he 
fell,  and  Grettir  fell  over  him.  Then  instantly  he 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SWORD.  57 

laid  hold  of  his  sword,  and  smote  off  Old  Karr’s 
head  and  laid  it  beside  his  thigh. 

This,  according  to  Norse  belief,  was  the  only  way 
in  which  to  prevent  a dead  man  from  walking,  who 
had  haunted  the  neighborhood  of  his  tomb,  and  in 
the  Icelandic  sagas  we  hear  of  other  cases  where 
the  same  proceeding  was  gone  through.  The  Norse- 
men held  to  something  more  dreadful  than  ghosts 
walking ; they  thought  that  some  evil  spirit  entered 
into  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  that  when  this  happened 
the  dead  no  longer  decayed,  but  walked,  and  ate, 
and  drank,  and  fought,  very  much  like  living  ruf- 
fians, but  with  redoubled  strength.  Then,  when 
this  happened,  nothing  was  of  any  avail  save  the 
digging  up  of  the  dead  man,  cutting  off  his  head 
and  laying  it  at  his  thigh. 

When  Grettir  had  done  this,  he  despoiled  Karr 
the  Old  of  his  helm,  his  breast-plate,  his  torque, 
and  he  took  the  box  on  which  the  feet  had  rested. 
He  fastened  all  together  to  the  rope,  and  called  to 
Audun  to  haul  up.  He  received  no  answer,  so  he 
swarmed  up  himself,  and  finding  that  his  friend  had 
run  away  he  pulled  up  what  he  had  tied  together, 
and  carried  the  whole  lot  in  his  arms  to  the  house  of 
Thorfin.  Thorfin  and  his  party  were  at  supper ; and 
when  Grettir  came  in,  the  bonder  looked  up,  and 
asked  why  he  did  not  keep  regular  hours,  and  be  at 
the  table  when  the  meal  began.  Grettir  made  no 
other  answer  than  to  throw  all  he  carried  down  on 
the  supper-table  before  the  master.  Thorfin  raised 
his  eyebrows  when  he  saw  so  much  treasure. 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


58 

“ Where  did  you  get  all  this  ? ” he  asked. 

Then  Grettir  answered  in  one  of  his  enigmatical 
songs : 

“ Thou  who  dost  the  wave-shine  shorten, 

My  attempt  has  been  to  find 
In  the  barrow  what  was  hidden, 

Deep  in  darkness  black  and  blind. 

Nothing  of  the  dragon’s  treasure 
With  the  dead  is  left  behind.” 

By  the  wave-shine  shortener  he  meant  Thorfin ; 
the  dragon’s  treasure  meant  gold,  because  dragons 
were  thought  to  line  their  lairs  with  that  metal. 

Thorfin  saw  that  Grettir’s  eye  looked  longingly  at 
the  short  sword  that  had  lain  on  the  knees  of  Karr. 
He  said : “ It  was  a heathen  custom  in  old  times  to 
bury  very  much  that  was  precious  along  with  the 
dead.  I do  not  blame  you  for  what  you  have  done  ; 
but  this  I will  say,  that  there  is  no  one  else  about 
this  place  who  would  have  ventured  to  attempt 
what  you  have  done.  As  for  that  sword  on  which 
you  cast  your  eyes  so  longingly,  it  has  ever  been  in 
our  family,  and  I cannot  part  with  it  till  you  have 
shown  that  you  are  worthy  to  wear  it.” 

Then  that  sword  was  hung  up  over  Thorfin’s  bed. 
You  have  heard  how  Grettir  did  show  that  he  was 
worthy  to  wear  it,  and  also  how  Thorfin  gave  it 
him. 

How,  this  tale  about  the  sword  will  very  well 
illustrate  what  was  said  at  the  beginning,  that  the 
history  of  Grettir  contains,  in  the  main,  truth ; but 
that  this  substance  of  truth  has  been  embroidered 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SWORD.  59 

over  by  fancy.  What  is  true  is,  that  during  the 
winter  in  which  he  was  with  Thorfin  he  did  dig  into 
the  mound  in  which  Karr  was  buried,  and  did  take 
thence  his  treasures  and  his  sword.  But  all  the 
story  of  his  fight  with  the  dead  man  was  added. 
The  same  story  occurs  in  a good  many  other  sagas, 
as  in  that  of  Hromund  Greip’s  son,  who  also  got  a 
sword  by  digging  into  a barrow  for  it.  When  the 
history  of  Grettir  was  told,  and  this  adventure  of 
his  was  related,  those  who  told  the  story  imported 
into  it  the  legend  of  the  fight  of  Hromund  in  the 
grave  with  the  dead  m.an,  so  as  to  make  the  history 
of  Grettir  more  amusing.  As  you  will  see  by  the 
tale,  no  one  else  was  present  when  it  happened,  for 
Audun  had  run  away,  and  it  was  not  like  Grettir  to 
boast  of  what  he  had  done.  This  was  an  embellish- 
ment added  by  the  story-teller,  and  from  the  story- 
teller the  incident  passed  into  the  volume  of  the 
story-writer. 

Grettir  had  now  two  good  swords;  one  long, 
which  he  called  Jokull’s  Gift,  that  he  had  received 
from  his  mother,  and  this  short  one  that  he  wore  at 
his  girdle,  which  he  had  taken  out  of  the  grave  of 
Karr  the  Old,  and  which  he  had  won  fairly  by  his 
bravery  in  the  defense  of  the  house  and  family 
of  Thorfin. 


6o 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  Till. 

OF  THE  BEAR. 

When  spring  came,  then  Grettir  left  his  friend 
Thorfin,  and  went  north  along  the  Norwegian  coast, 
and  was  everywhere  well  received,  because  the  story 
of  how  he  had  killed  twelve  rovers,  he  being  as  yet 
but  a boy,  was  noised  through  all  the  country,  and 
every  one  who  had  anything  to  lose  felt  safer 
because  that  wicked  gang  was  broken  up.  Nothing 
of  consequence  is  told  about  him  during  that  summer. 
For  the  winter  he  did  not  return  to  Thorfin  as 
asked,  but  accepted  the  invitation  of  another  bonder, 
named  Thorgils. 

Thorgils  was  a merry,  pleasant  man,  and  he  had 
a great  company  in  his  house  that  winter.  Among 
his  visitors  was  a certain  Biorn,  a distant  cousin,  a 
man  whom  Thorgils  did  not  like,  as  he  was  a slan- 
derous-tongued  fellow,  and  moreover  he  was  a brag- 
gart. He  was  one  of  those  persons  we  meet  with 
not  infrequently  who  cannot  endure  to  hear  another 
praised ; who,  the  moment  a good  word  is  spoken 
of  some  one,  immediately  puts  in  a nasty,  spiteful 
word,  and  tells  an  unkind  story,  so  as  to  drag  that 
person  down  in  the  general  opinion.  At  the  same 


OF  THE  BEAR. 


6l 


time,  concerning  himself  he  had  only  praiseworthy 
and  wonderful  feats  to  relate  about  his  wit,  his 
wisdom,  his  craft,  his  knowledge  of  the  world,  about 
his  strength  and  courage. 

Thorgils  knew  how  much,  or  rather  how  little,  to 
believe  of  what  Biorn  said,  and  he  did  not  pay  much 
regard  to  his  talk.  But  now  Grettir  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  and  of  feeling  how  mistaken  had 
been  his  conduct  on  board  the  ship  upon  which  he 
had  come  to  Norway,  when  he  made  lampoons  on 
the  sailors  and  chapmen,  and  stung  them  with  sharp 
words.  He  saw  how  disagreeable  a fellow  Biorn 
was,  how  much  he  was  disliked,  and  by  some 
despised ; and  he  kept  very  greatly  to  himself  and 
out  of  Biorn’s  way.  He  did  not  wish  to  quarrel 
with  him,  because  he  was  the  relative  of  his  host, 
and  he  was  afraid  that  his  anger  would  get  the  better 
of  him  if  he  did  come  to  words  with  the  braggart. 

Grettir  had  grown  a great  deal  since  he  left  Ice- 
land, and  he  was  now  a strapping  fellow,  broad 
built  but  not  short.  He  was  not  handsome,  but  his 
face  was  intelligent. 

It  fell  out  that  a bear  gave  much  trouble  that 
winter  to  Thorgils  and  the  neighboring  farmers. 
It  was  so  strong  and  so  daring  that  no  folds  were 
secure  against  it,  and  Thorgils  and  the  other  farm- 
ers endured  severe  losses  through  the  depredations 
of  Bruin. 

Before  Yule,  a party  was  formed  to  go  in  search 
of  and  kill  the  bear,  but  all  that  was  done  was  to 
find  the  lair. 


62 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


The  bear  had  taken  up  his  abode  in  the  face  of  a 
tremendous  cliff  that  overhung  the  sea.  There  was 
but  one  path  up  to  the  cave,  and  that  was  so  narrow 
that  only  one  man  could  creep  along  it  at  a time. 
Moreover,  if  his  foot  slipped  he  would  be  flung  over 
the  edge  upon  the  rocks  or  skerries  below  against 
which  the  waves  dashed. 

When  the  den  of  the  bear  had  been  discovered, 
Biorn  said,  “ That  is  the  main  thing.  Now  I know 
where  the  rogue  lies,  I’ll  settle  with  him,  trust 
me.  I’ve  been  the  death  of  scores  of  bears.  My 
only  dread  is  lest  he  be  afraid  of  me,  and  will  not 
come  on.” 

And,  actually,  Biorn  went  out  on  several  moonlit 
nights  to  watch  for  the  bear.  He  saw  that  the  only 
way  to  deal  with  him  would  be  to  stop  the  track 
from  the  den,  and  fight  him  as  he  attempted  to 
come  away.  He  took  his  short  sword  and  great 
shield  with  him  covered  with  ox-hide,  and  one  night 
he  laid  himself  down  on  the  path  of  the  bear,  and 
put  his  shield  over  him.  He  thought  that  Bruin 
would  come  smelling  at  the  great  hide-covered 
shield,  and  then  all  at  once  he  (Biorn)  would  spring 
up  and  drive  his  sword  into  the  heart  of  the  bear. 
That  was  his  plan — and  not  a bad  plan — only,  un- 
fortunately for  Biorn,  the  bear  did  not  come  out  for 
a long  time.  He  had  got  an  inkling  that  a man  was 
watching  for  him,  so  he  was  shy,  and  whilst  he 
waited  before  venturing  forth,  Biorn,  who  had 
been  drinking  pretty  freely  that  evening,  went  to 
sleep. 


OF  THE  BEAR. 


63 

Presently  ' the  bear  came  out,  crept  cautiously 
down  the  narrow  track,  snuffing  about,  and  when 
he  came  to  Biorn,  he  plucked  with  his  claws  at  the 
shield,  and  with  one  wrench  had  it  off  and  tumbled 
it  down  the  cliff. 

Biorn  woke  with  a start,  rose  to  his  knees,  saw 
the  huge  bear  before  him,  and  in  a moment  turned 
tail,  and  ran  as  hard  as  he  could  run  to  Thorgil’s 
house,  and  was  too  scared  to  be  able  to  boast  that 
he  had  killed  or  wounded  the  bear. 

♦Next  morning  his  shield  was  found  where  the 
bear  had  thrown  it,  and  much  fun  did  this  adven- 
ture of  the  braggart  occasion.  This  made  him  very 
irritable  and  more  spiteful  than  ever. 

Thorgils  now  said  that  really  something  must  be 
done  to  rid  the  neighborhood  of  the  bear,  so  a 
party  of  eight  set  out  well  armed  with  spears  ; of 
this  party  were  Biorn  and  Grettir.  They  reached 
the  point  where  the  track  to  the  den  ran  up  the 
cliff  to  the  lair,  and  one  man  after  another  tried  it. 
But  there  was  no  getting  at  the  bear ; for  as  soon 
as  a man  came  near  the  beast  put  his  great  forepaws 
forth  and  caught  and  snapped  the  spear-heads  or 
beat  them  down.  As  already  said,  only  one  could 
crawl  up  at  a time. 

Grettir  had  gone  out  that  day  in  a fur  coat  that 
his  friend  Thorfin  had  given  him,  and  which  he 
greatly  valued.  When  the  onslaught  against  the 
bear  began,  he  took  off  his  fur  coat,  and  folded  it, 
and  put  it  on  a stone.  Biorn  saw  this,  and  when 
none  observed,  he  took  the  fur  coat  and  threw  it 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


64 

into  the  cave  of  the  bear.  Grettir  did  not  see  what 
had  been  done  till  the  party,  disappointed  with 
their  want  of  success,  made  ready  to  depart,  when 
he  missed  it,  and  then  some  suspicion  entered  his 
head  as  to  what  had  been  done  with  it,  and  by 
whom,  but  he  said  nothing. 

As  they  walked  home,  Biorn  began  to  taunt 
Grettir  with  having  done  nothing  all  day.  He 
could  kill  robbers  who  were  unarmed  and  were  drunk, 
perhaps  asleep,  but  a bear  was  too  serious  an  adver- 
sary for  him. 

Grettir  said  nothing,  but  as  his  gaiter  thong  be- 
came broken,  he  stopped  and  stooped  to  mend  it. 
Thorgils  asked  if  they  should  wait  for  him.  Grettir 
declined. 

“ Oh,”  said  Biorn,  “ it  is  all  nonsense.  It  is  a pre- 
tense. He  means  to  have  all  the  glory  of  fighting 
the  bear  alone  when  we  have  gone  on.” 

He  said  the  truth,  but  he  had  no  idea  when  he 
spoke  that  it  was  the  truth. 

Grettir  tarried  till  the  party  had  crossed  a hill  and 
was  out  of  sight,  then  he  turned  and  went  back  to 
the  bear’s  den.  He  slipped  his  hand  through  the 
loop  at  the  end  of  the  handle  of  the  short  sword 
that  he  had  taken  from  the  grave  of  Karr  the  Old, 
and  let  it  hang  on  his  wrist,  but  he  held  the  long 
sword,  Jokull’s  gift,  by  the  pommel.  His  plan  was 
to  use  the  long  sword  if  needed,  but  if  the  bear 
came  to  close  quarters  he  would  throw  it  down  and 
grasp  the  short  one  without  having  to  put  his  hand 
to  his  girdle  for  it.  Yery  cautiously  he  crept  along 


OF  THE  BEAR. 


65 

the  path.  Bruin  saw  him,  and  was  now  angry  and 
hungry,  and  came  down  to  meet  him.  The  bear 
was  somewhat  above  him ; Grettir  halted,  and  the 
bear  stood  up  growling  on  his  hind-legs. 

At  once  the  long  sword  was  whirled  and  fell  on 
the  right  wrist  above  the  paw,  and  cut  it  off.  The 
bear  immediately  fell  down  on  all-fours ; but  the 
amputated  paw  was  on  the  side  away  from  the  wall 
of  rock,  and  when  he  went  down  on  the  stump  he 
was  overbalanced,  and  came  down  with  his  whole 
weight  on  Grettir. 

Grettir  let  fall  his  long  sword  at  once,  and  with 
both  hands  grasped  the  brute’s  ears,  and  held  his 
head  off  lest  he  should  get  a bite  at  him.  Grettir, 
in  after  years,  was  wont  to  say  that  this  was  the 
hardest  tussle  he  had  in  his  life — it  was  even  worse 
than  anything  he  had  to  do  with  the  rovers.  For  if 
the  beast  had  but  been  able  to  nip  him  on  the  breast, 
or  shoulder,  or  face  with  his  great  fangs,  all  would 
have  been  up  with  him.  Moreover,  the  ears  were 
so  smooth  that  he  had  to  do  his  utmost  not  to  let 
them  slip.  Grettir  had  the  wit  to  drag  back  the 
brute’s  head  to  the  rock,  and  by  so  doing  the  bear 
could  not  use  his  only  uninjured  fore-leg,  armed  with 
terrible  claws,  which  would  have  ripped  Grettir’s 
clothes  and  flesh. 

In  the  struggle  the  two  went  over  the  edge,  and 
for  a moment  Grettir  thought,  as  they  spun  in  the 
air,  that  he  was  lost.  But  the  bear  was  heavier  than 
the  lad,  consequently  he  fell  crash  on  the  rocks  at  the 
bottom  first,  and  Grettir  on  him,  breaking  Grettir’s 


66 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


fall  by  his  great  body.  The  bear’s  back  was 
broken. 

Then  Grettir  got  up,  shook  himself,  left  the  bear, 
went  up  the  path  and  found  his  fur  coat  torn  to 
tatters,  and  he  put  it  about  him,  recovered  also  his 
long  sword,  and  took  the  cut-off  paw  of  the  bear. 

He  now  went  back  to  Thorgils’  house,  and  when 
he  came  into  the  hall  where  the  fires  were  blazing, 
every  one  laughed  to  see  him  in  his  tattered  coat ; 
but  when  he  gave  the  paw  of  the  bear  to  Thorgils 
the  general  merriment  exchanged  to  surprise.  Biorn, 
however,  could  not  contain  himself  for  vexation, 
and  launched  forth  some  coarse  jest  that  made 
Grettir’s  blood  tingle  in  his  veins. 

“ Do  not  listen  to  him,”  said  Thorgils.  “ You  are 
a brave  fellow,  and  there  are  not  many  your  like,” 
Then  turning  to  Biorn,  he  said,  “ Kinsman,  I advise 
and  warn  you  to  keep  a civil  tongue  in  your  head, 
or  you  will  come  to  rue  it,  and  have  to  be  taught 
better  manners.” 

“ Oh,  if  I am  to  learn  manners  from  Grettir,  that 
is  sending  me  to  a cub  indeed ! ” 

“ I want  to  know,”  said  Grettir,  “ w'hether  you 
threw  my  fur  coat  intQ  the  den  ? ” 

“ I am  not  afraid  of  saying  that  I did.” 

“ Will  you  give  me  another  in  its  place  ? ” 

“ I have  not  the  smallest  intention  of  doing  charity 
to  beggars.” 

The  braggart  knew  that  Grettir  was  restraining 
himself  because  he  did  not  wish  to  quarrel  with 
his  host’s  kinsman,  and  he  took  advantage  of  his 


OF  THE  BEAR.  67 

knowledge.  But  Thorgils  was  greatly  distressed  and 
ashamed,  and  he  said  to  Grettir : 

“ Pay  no  attention  to  his  words.  He  has  in- 
sulted you,  and  I will  pay  you  a fine  in  compensa- 
tion for  his  insult,  that  it  may  be  buried  and  for- 
gotten.” 

That  was  customary  then.  When  one  had  hurt 
another  in  body  or  in  honor  by  blow  or  foul  word, 
he  was  bound  to  pay  a sum  of  monejr ; if  he  did  not 
then  the  man  injured  was  required  by  the  laws  of 
honor  to  revenge  the  injury. 

But  when  Biorn  heard  this  proposal,  he  shouted 
out  that  he  would  not  suffer  the  matter  to  be  so 
compromised ; he  was  not  ashamed  of  his  words. 
Thorgils  drew  Grettir  aside,  and  said  to  him  that 
his  kinsman  was  a badly -behaved,  brutal  fellow, 
but  that  he  hoped  Grettir  would  not  take  up  the 
quarrel  in  his  house;  that  Grettir  promised  him 
solemnly  that  he  would  not  attempt  to  take  revenge 
for  the  rudeness  of  Biorn  so  long  as  they  were  both 
inmates  of  his  house. 

“ As  for  what  may  happen  between  you  later,” 
said  Thorgils,  “ I wash  my  hands  of  responsibility. 
If  Biorn  is  offensive  to  those  who  have  never  hurt 
him,  he  must  take  the  consequences.” 

So  matters  remained  ; only  that  Biorn,  presuming 
on  his  position,  became  daily  more  arrogant,  intoler- 
able, and  abusive,  so  that  Grettir  had  to  exercise 
daily  self-restraint  to  keep  his  hands  off  him.  And 
glad  he  was  when  spring  came,  that  he  might  get 
away  to  another  part  of  Norway. 


68 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


As  for  Biorn,  he  went  in  the  summer  to  England 
in  a ship  that  belonged  to  Thorgils,  trading  there 
for  Thorgils  and  for  himself.  Consequently,  all  that 
summer  he  and  Grettir  did  not  meet. 


THE  SLAYING  OF  BIORN. 


69 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  SLAYING  OF  BIORN. 

Grettir  left  Thorgils  very  good  friends,  and  he 
went  with  some  merchants  to  the  north,  but  when 
the  summer  was  over  he  came  back  south,  and  ar- 
rived at  a little  island  in  the  entrance  of  the  Dron- 
theim  firth.  His  intention  was  to  see  Earl  Sweyn, 
and  perhaps  take  service  under  him ; but  if  so, 
things  fell  out  other  than  he  had  reckoned.  For,  as 
he  was  in  this  island,  there  came  in  a large  merchant 
vessel  from  England,  and  Grettir  and  those  with  him 
at  once  went  to  see  the  shipmen,  and  among  them 
was  Biorn.  The  ship  was,  in  fact,  that  of  Thorgils, 
and  it  was  laden  with  commodities  bought  in  Eng- 
land, or  obtained  by  exchange  for  the  wool  and  furs, 
and  women’s  embroidery  sent  out  in  the  spring  by 
Thorgils. 

Directly  Biorn  saw  Grettir  he  turned  red,  and 
pretended  not  to  recognize  him ; but  Grettir  went 
to  him  at  once  and  said  : 

“ Now  has  come  the  time  when  we  two  can  settle 
our  differences.” 

“ Oh,”  said  Biorn,  “ that  is  soon  done.  I don’t 
object  to  paying  a trifle.” 


70  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

“ The  time  for  paying  is  over,”  said  Grettir. 
“ Thorgils  offered  an  indemnity  for  yonr  insolence, 
and  you  refused  to  consent  to  it.” 

Then  Biorn  saw  that  there  was  no  help  for  him 
but  that  he  must  fight.  So  he  girded  him  for  the 
conflict,  and  he  and  Grettir  went  down  on  the  sand, 
and  they  fought. 

The  fight  did  not  last  long.  Grettir’s  sword  cut 
him  that  he  fell  and  died. 

When  the  news  reached  Thorgils,  he  got  ready, 
and  came  by  boat  as  fast  as  he  could  to  see  the  earl 
at  Drontheim.  He  found  the  earl  very  angry,  but 
he  said  to  him  : 

“ I am  a kinsman  of  the  fallen  man,  and  I know 
that  he  treated  Grettir  with  intolerable  insolence, 
and  that  he  refused  every  compromise.  Then  re- 
member what  a benefit  has  been  done  to  the  country 
by  Grettir,  who  ridded  it  of  the  Red  Rovers,  Thorir 
wi’  the  Paunch  and  Ogmund  the  Bad.” 

Thorfin  also  came  to  Drontheim  when  he  heard 
of  the  straits  into  Avhich  Grettir  had  come  through 
killing  Biorn.  The  earl  called  a council  on  the 
matter,  and  said  he  would  not  come  to  a decision 
till  he  had  heard  what  Biorn’s  brother  Hiarandi  had 
to  say  on  the  matter.  Hiarandi  was  a violent  man 
and  he  was  very  wroth.  He  would  hear  of  no 
patching  up  of  the  matter,  and  he  vowed  he  would 
not,  as  he  expressed  it,  “bring  his  brother  into  his 
purse.”  As  already  said,  it  was  customary  when  a 
man  had  been  killed  to  offer  a sum  of  money  to  the 
next  of  kin,  and  if  he  accepted  the  money  the 


THE  SLAYING  OF  BIORN.  7l 

quarrel  was  at  an  end.  "When  we  now  speak  of 
“pocketing  an  injury,”  reference  is  made  to  this 
same  ancient  usage,  by  which  every  offense  was 
estimated  as  so  much  money,  and  if  the  wronged 
man  took  money  for  the  offense  committed  against 
him,  he  was  said  to  pocket  it.  When  the  earl  went 
into  the  matter,  and  heard  how  Grettir  had  been 
wronged  and  outraged  by  Biorn,  he  gave  his  de- 
cision that  Grettir  had  not  acted  contrary  to  law, 
and  that  Biorn  had  justly  forfeited  his  life.  Thorfin 
offered  the  sum  of  money  which  the  earl  considered 
was  sufficient  to  atone  to  the  relations  for  the  death 
of  Biorn,  but  Hiarandi  refused  absolutely  to  touch 
it. 

Then  Thorfin  knew  that  Grettir’s  life  was  in 
danger,  for  Hiarandi  would  certainly  try  to  take  it ; 
so  he  begged  his  kinsman  Arinbiorn  to  go  about 
with  Grettir,  and  keep  on  the  look-out  against  the 
mischief  that  threatened. 

Now  it  fell  out  one  day  that  Grettir  and  Arin- 
biorn were  walking  down  a street  in  Drontheim 
> when  their  way  led  before  a narrow  lane  opening 
into  it.  They  did  not  see  any  danger  in  the  way, 
and  were  unaware  of  this  lane.  But  just  as  they 
had  passed  it  a man  jumped  out  from  behind,  in  the 
shadow,  swinging  an  ax,  and  he  struck  at  Grettir 
between  the  shoulder-blades.  Fortunately,  Arin- 
biorn had  looked  round  at  the  lane,  and  he  saw  the 
man  leap  out,  so  he  suddenly  dragged  Grettir  for- 
ward with  such  a jerk  that  Grettir  fell  on  his  knee. 
This  saved  his  life,  for  the  ax  came  on  his  shoulder- 


72 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


blade,  made  a gash  that  cut  to  his  armpit,  and  then 
the  ax  buried  itself  in  the  roadway.  Instantly 
Grettir  started  to  his  feet,  turned  round,  and  with 
his  short  sword  smote  in  the  very  nick  of  time  as 
the  man,  who  was  Hiarandi,  was  pulling  up  his  ax 
to  cut  at  Grettir  again.  Grettir’s  sword  fell  on  his 
upper  arm  near  the  shoulder,  and  cut  it  off.  Then 
out  rushed  some  servants  of  Hiarandi  on  Arinbiorn 
and  Grettir,  who  set  their  backs  against  a house- 
wall  and  defended  themselves  with  such  valor  that 
they  killed  or  put  to  flight  all  who  had  assailed 
them. 

Now,  this  had  been  a base  and  cowardly  attempt 
on  the  life  of  Grettir,  and  Hiarandi  richly  deserved 
his  fate.  But  the  earl  was  exceedingly  angry  when 
he  heard  the  news,  and  he  called  a council  together. 
Thorfin  and  Grettir  attended,  and  the  earl  angrily 
charged  Grettir  with  having  committed  great  vio- 
lence, and  being  the  cause  of  the  death  of  Hiarandi 
and  some  of  his  servants. 

Grettir  acknowledged  this  ; but  showed  his  wound, 
and  stated  how  he  had  been  attacked  from  behind ; 
how  his  life  had  been  saved  by  the  promptitude  of 
Arinbiorn,  and  how  he  had  but  defended  himself 
against  enemies  who  sought  his  life. 

“ I wish  you  had  been  killed,”  said  the  earl,  “ and 
then  there  would  have  been  an  end  to  these  dis- 
orders.” 

“ You  would  not  have  a man  not  raise  his  hands 
to  save  his  head  ? ” said  Grettir. 

“ I see  one  thing,”  exclaimed  the  earl.  “ 111  luck 


THE  SLAYING  OF  BlORN.  73 

attends  you,  and  you  are  doomed  to  commit  vio- 
lence wherever  you  are.” 

The  end  of  it  was  that  Earl  Sweyn  said  he  would 
not  have  Grettir  to  live  in  Norway  any  longer,  lest 
he  should  be  the  cause  of  fresh  troubles.  But  he 
remained  over  the  third  winter,  and  next  spring 
sailed  for  Iceland,  the  time  of  his  outlawing  being 
ended. 


74 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  X. 

op  grettir’s  return. 

When  Grettir  came  back  to  Biarg,  he  found  his 
father  so  old  and  infirm  as  to  be  no  more  able  to 
stir  abroad,  and  Atli  managed  the  farm  for  him 
along  with  Illugi,  Grettir’s  youngest  brother,  now 
grown  up  to  be  a big  boy.  Grettir  was  now  aged 
eighteen,  but  he  looked  and  was  a man.  Illugi  was 
about  fifteen,  a gentle,  pleasant  boy.  He  and  the 
kindly,  careful  Atli  were  as  unlike  Grettir  as  well 
could  be ; they  avoided  quarrels,  they  had  a civil 
word  for  every  one,  and  took  pains  to  make  them- 
selves agreeable,  whether  to  guests  in  their  house, 
or  when  staying  anywhere,  to  their  hosts.  Grettir 
never  troubled  himself  to  be  courteous  or  to  be 
obliging  to  any  one.  Now  that  he  was  back  from 
Norway  he  was  rather  disposed  to  think  much  of 
himself  as  a man  more  brave  and  audacious  than  his 
fellows,  for,  had  he  not  killed  twelve  rovers,  broken 
into  a barrow,  slain  a bear,  and  been  the  death  of 
one  man  in  a duel,  and  another  who  had  attempted 
to  assassinate  him  ? Atli  did  not  much  like  his 
manner,  and  cautioned  him  not  to  be  overbearing 
whilst  at  home,  lest  he  should  involve  himself  in 
fresh  troubles.  But  words  were  wasted  on  Grettir. 


OF  grettir’s  return. 


75 


He  was  not  the  fellow  to  listen  to  advice,  but  one  of 
those  men  who  must  learn  the  bitter  lessons  of  life 
by  personal  experience.  It  is  so  with  men  always. 
Some,  who  are  thoughtful,  see  what  God’s  law  is 
which  is  impressed  on  all  society,  and  listen  to  what 
others  have  found  out  as  the  lessons  taught  them  by 
their  lives,  so  they  are  able  to  go  out  equipped  against 
the  trials  and  difficulties  of  life.  But  others  will 
neither  look  nor  listen,  and  such  have  to  go  through 
every  sort  of  adversity,  till  they  have  learned  the 
great  truths  of  social  life,  and  perhaps  they  only 
acquire  them  when  it  is  too  late  to  put  them  in 
practice. 

It  is  with  laws  and  courtesies  of  life  as  with  the 
three  R’s.  A man  will  fare  badly  who  cannot  read, 
write,  and  cipher.  If  he  learns  these  accomplish- 
ments as  a child,  he  does  well ; he  is  furnished  for 
the  struggle  of  life,  and  starts  on  the  same  footing 
as  other  men ; but  if  as  a child  he  is  morose  and  in- 
different, and  refuses  to  learn,  then  all  through  his 
life  he  is  met  with  difficulties,  owing  to  his  ignorance, 
and  he  finds  that  he  must  learn  to  read,  write,  and 
do  sums  ; and  he  has  to  acquire  these  in  after  years 
with  much  less  ease  than  he  might  have  learnt  as  a 
child,  and  after  he  has  lost  many  chances  of  getting 
on  which  might  have  been  seized,  had  he  known 
these  things  before. 

Grettir’s  temper  on  his  return  may  be  judged  by 
one  incident  that  happened  almost  directly.  He 
had  not  forgotten  his  struggle  on  the  ice  with  his 
cousin  Audun,  and  he  was  resolved  to  have  another 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


76 

trial  of  strength  with  him.  So  he  had  not  been 
home  many  days  before  he  rode  over  the  hill  to 
Audunstead  in  his  best  harness,  and  with  a beautiful 
saddle  on  his  horse  that  had  been  given  him  by 
Thorfin.  The  time  was  that  of  hay,  and  he  saw  the 
field  round  Audun’s  farm  full  of  rich  grass,  ready  to 
be  cut.  He  took  the  bridle  off  his  horse  and  turned 
it  into  Audun’s  meadow.  This  was  not  out  of 
thoughtlessness,  but  out  of  insolence,  and  was  in- 
tended to  exasperate  Audun.  In  Iceland  grass  grows 
very  little,  and  only  fit  to  be  cut  for  hay  round  the 
farms  in  what  is  called  the  tun,  where  it  is  richly 
dressed  with  stable-dung.  Consequently  hay  is  very 
scarce  and  very  precious.  The  grass  never  grows 
much  longer  than  one’s  fingers,  and  so  even  in  the 
tun  it  is  not  plentiful.  He  knocked  at  the  door  of 
the  farm  and  asked  for  his  cousin,  and  was  told  that 
Audun  had  gone  to  the  highland  sel  to  fetch  curds, 
and  would  be  back  later.  The  sel  was  a farm  on 
the  highland,  only  occupied  in  summer,  when  the 
cattle  were  driven  to  the  moors  and  hills  to  feed  on 
the  grass  there,  and  to  save  that  in  the  lowlands 
against  winter. 

Here  a word  or  two  must  be  said  about  Icelandic 
names  of  places  and  people.  When  Iceland  was 
colonized,  those  who  first  settled  in  the  land  and 
built  farms,  called  the  places  after  their  own  names 
in  a great  many  cases ; they  called  them  so-and-so’s 
stead,  or  so-and-so’s  by  or  farm.  A by  is  the  Scotch 
byre,  and  in  Icelandic  is  beer,  pronounced  exactly 
like  the  Scotch  word.  Wherever,  in  the  north  and 


OF  GRETTIRS  RETURN. 


77 


east  of  England,  Norse  settlers  came,  there  we  find 
names  of  places  ending  in  the  same  way,  and  we 
know  that  these  were  farms  and  dwellings  of  old 
Norse  settlers.  Thus  in  Northumberland,  Yorkshire, 
and  Lincolnshire,  are  plenty  of  Norse  place-names. 
Near  Thirsk  is  Thirkelby  or*  Thorkel’s-byre,  near 
Ripon  is  Enderby  or  Andre  w’s-byre.  Not  only  so, 
but  where  there  are  high  hills  there  we  find  also 
sels , that  is  summer-farms,  like  the  Alps  to  which 
the  cattle  are  driven  in  Switzerland.  Next  as  to 
the  names  of  people.  What  is  a little  puzzling  to  re- 
member is  the  number  of  persons  whose  names  begin 
with  Thor.  Thor,  the  god  of  thunder,  was  regarded 
with  the  highest  reverence  by  the  Icelanders ; they 
thought  of  him  even  more  than  they  did  of  Odin, 
the  chief  god  of  all,  who  had  one  eye,  and  his  one 
fiery  eye  was  the  sun.  Thor  was  called  the  Red- 
beard,  and  the  aurora  borealis  was  thought  to  be  his 
waving  red-beard  in  the  sky.  The  thunderbolt  they 
regarded  as  his  hammer.  To  show  their  respect  for 
him,  children  were  named  after  him : Thor-grim 

means  Thor’s  wrath ; Thor-kel,  Thor’s  kettle,  in 
which  the  sacrificial  meat  was  cooked  in  offering  to 
Thor ; Thor-gil  was  Thor’s  boy  or  servant ; Thor- 
hall  was  Thor’s  flint  spear-head,  and  so  on.  The 
Northumbrian  king,  St.  Osmund,  takes  his  name 
from  the  Hand  of  God,  and  the  name  is  the  same 
as  Asmund,  the  father  of  Grettir.  Oswald  means 
the  elect  of  the  god  ; in  Icelandic  the  name  would  be 
Aswald. 

When  Grettir  found  that  Audun  was  from  home, 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


78 

he  went  into  the  hall  and  lay  down  on  the  bench 
nearest  the  door.  The  hall  was  dark. 

The  halls  of  the  Icelandic  chiefs  were  like  bodies 
of  churches,  and  were  divided  into  a nave  with  side 
aisles;  and  were  lighted  by  windows  in  a clere-story 
that  Avere  covered  Avith  the  skin  of  the  lining  of  a 
sheep’s  stomach,  to  let  in  light  and  keep  out  cold, 
because  they  had  no  glass.  In  the  side  aisles  were 
the  beds  of  those  Avho  lived  in  the  house,  some  Avith 
doors  and  shutters,  Avhich  could  be  fastened  from 
within ; and  a man  in  danger  of  his  life  would  so 
sleep.  He  would  go  to  bed,  and  then  close  himself 
in  and  lock  the  shutters,  that  no  one  could  get  at 
him  when  he  Avas  asleep.  The  fires  and  benches 
and  tables  Avere  in  the  nave,  or  middle  of  the  great 
hall.  Over  the  partitions  for  the  beds  Avere  hung 
shields  and  swords  and  spears,  and  on  grand  occa- 
sions hangings  Avere  put  up  all  along  the  sides, 
hiding  the  beds  and  berths  in  the  side  aisles.  The 
arrangement  in  an  Icelandic  house  at  the  present 
day  is  much  the  same,  only  on  a very  much  reduced 
scale.  The  people  live  and  eat  and  sleep  in  the 
same  room,  like  the  saloon-cabin  of  a ship,  Avith  the 
berths  round  the  walls. 

Audun  arrived  in  the  afternoon  with  a horse  that 
carried  curds  in  skins  on  its  back ; that  is  to  say, 
skins  Avere  made  into  bottles,  as  is  still  common  in 
Palestine.  When  he  saAV  that  ahorse  with  a saddle 
on  it  Avas  Avandering  about  in  his  meadoAv,  trampling 
down  the  grass  and  eating  it,  he  Avas  very  vexed  ; 
and  throwing  one  bottle  of  curd  over  his  back,  and 


OF  GRETTIRS  RETURN. 


79 


hanging  another  in  front  on  his  breast  to  counter- 
balance it,  he  ran  into  the  house  to  ask  who  had 
done  this. 

The  hall  was  dusky,  and  Audun’s  eyes  were  ac- 
customed to  the  bright  summer-light.  As  he  entered, 
Grettir  put  out  his  foot ; Audun  did  not  see  it,  and 
stumbled  over  it,  fell  on  the  skin  of  curds  and  burst 
it.  Then  he  jumped  up,  very  angry,  and  asked  who 
had  played  him  this  scurvy  trick.  Grettir  named 
himself,  and  said  he  had  come  over  about  that 
matter  of  the  wrestle  on  the  ice.  Audun,  still  very- 
irate,  all  at  once  stooped,  picked  up  the  burst  skin, 
and  dashed  it  in  Grettir’s  face  smothering  him  with 
curds.  Then  he  threw  down  the  other  curd-bottle, 
and  began  to  wrestle  with  Grettir.  They  swung  up 
and  down  the  hall,  kicking  over  the  benches,  now 
upon  the  floor,  then  on  the  stone-paved  fire-hearth 
in  the  midst ; then  they  crashed  against  the  walls 
and  pillars  of  the  bed-chambers,  and  as  they  did  so 
the  shields,  and  weapons  hung  over  them  clashed 
like  bells.  Some  frightened  servant-maids  came  in, 
and  ran  out  again  in  alarm,  calling  for  aid. 

Audun  felt  now  that  Grettir  had  outgrown  him 
in  strength,  but  he  would  not  give  in;  then  they 
slipped  on  the  curd  and  both  fell,  parted  for  a mo- 
ment, rose,  and  flew  at  each  other  once  more. 
Again,  up  and  down,  banging,  stumbling,  writhing 
in  each  other’s  arms,  twisting  legs  round  each  other, 
to  try  to  trip  each  other  up,  and  ever  Grettir  bear- 
ing Audun  backwards,  but  never  wholly  mastering 
him.  Audun  could  not  trust  his  cousin,  for  though 


8o 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


they  were  akin,  and  though  he  had  not  really  done 
him  an  injury,  there  was  no  telling  to  what  a pitch 
Grettir’s  blood  might  mount  and  blind  him ; so  as 
they  wrestled,  Audun  took  care  to  twist  the  short 
sword  out  of  Grettir’s  belt  and  throw  it  away.  As, 
to  do  this,  he  had  to  disengage  his  hand  from 
Grettir’s  shoulder,  he  lost  an  advantage.  Grettir 
managed  to  trip  him,  and  throw  him  flat  on  his 
back. 

At  that  moment,  fortunately,  a man,  big,  wearing 
a red  kirtle,  and  in  full  harness,  entered  the  hall  and 
asked  what  was  the  meaning  of  the  noise  and  fight  ? 
As  he  did  not  receive  an  immediate  answer,  he  came 
to  the  rescue  of  Audun,  and  drew  Grettir  from  him. 

“We  are  only  in  play  with  each  other,”  said 
Grettir. 

“ Rather  rough  play,”  said  the  man,  “ and  likely 
to  end  in  tears  rather  than  laughter.” 

“ Who  are  you  that  interfere  ? ” asked  Grettir. 

“ My  name  is  Bard.” 

Then  Audun  scrambled  to  his  feet. 

“ What  is  the  reason  of  this  rough  play  ? ” asked 
Bard. 

Then  Grettir  answered,  by  singing  : 

“Prithee,  Audun,  will  you  say 
How,  upon  the  ice  one  day, 

You  to  throttle  did  essay  ? 

Now,  for  that  I this  have  done, 

On  Audun  honor  I have  won  ; 

Curds  and  wrestle  make  good  fun.” 

:<0h,  I see,”  said  Bard;  “fighting  out  an  old 


OF  grettir’s  RETURN.  8 1 

grudge.  I have  nothing  to  say  against  that.  Now, 
shake  hands,  and  be  loving  cousins  again.” 

Audun  held  out  his  hand,  and  Grettir  agreed  to 
let  the  matter  end  thus.  But  he  was  dissatisfied, 
and  ever  after  bore  Bard  a grudge.  However,  he 
never  again  wrestled  with  Audun,  and  remained  on 
good  terms  with  him. 

6 


82 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  HOESE-FI6HT. 

One  of  the  rude  and  cruel  sports  that  amused  the 
Icelanders  in  summer  time  was  horse-fighting.  A 
smooth  piece  of  turf  was  chosen,  and  was  staked 
round.  Into  this  inclosure  two  or  sometimes  more 
horses  were  introduced,  and  a man  attended  each, 
who  urged  on  his  own  horse,  armed  with  a goad. 
By  means  of  these  goads  the  horses  were  stung  to 
madness,  and  attacked  each  other,  biting  each  other 
savagely.  How,  Atli  had  a beautiful  roan,  with  a 
black  mane,  which  he  and  his  old  father  were  very 
proud  of.  Lower  down  the  valley,  near  the  sea,  was 
a farm  called  Mals,  in  which  lived  a bonder  named 
Kormak,  and  his  brother ; they  had  in  their  house  a 
man  called  Odd  the  Foundling,  a sly,  captious  fellow, 
who,  like  Grettir,  made  verses  ; but  his  verses  were 
not  generally  thought  to  be  so  good  as  those  of 
Grettir.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is  a hot- 
spring  ; it  is  still  hot,  but  not  so  hot  as  it  wTas  in 
those  days,  when  it  boiled  up  and  poured  forth  a 
cloud  of  steam,  and  ran  in  a scalding  rill  down  to  the 
river.  There  was  a convenient  level  place  near  the 
river  for  a horse-fight,  and  it  stood  above  the  water 


THE  HORSE-FIGHT.  83 

on  one  side  rather  steeply,  so  that  it  needed  only 
fencing  on  three  sides.  Kormak  had  a brown  horse 
that  fought  well,  and  it  Avas  resolved  that  autumn 
to  have  a fight  between  the  horse  of  Kormak  and 
the  roan  of  Atli.  Odd  was  to  goad  on  Kormak’s 
brown,  and  Grettir  offered  himself  to  his  brother  to 
run  with  the  roan.  Atli  did  not  much  like  the 
proposal,  as  he  feared  Grettir’s  temper ; but  he  could 
not  well  decline  his  offer,  so  he  said,  “ I will  consent, 
brother ; only  I pray  you,  be  peaceable,  for  we  have 
to  do  with  overbearing  men,  and  it  will  be  very 
unfortunate  if  a broil  shouldcome  of  this.” 

“ If  they  begin,  I shall  not  run  away,”  said 
Grettir. 

“ Not  if  they  begin ; but  be  very  careful  not  to 
provoke  a quarrel.” 

“ Quarrels  come  and  are  not  made,”  said  Grettir. 

“ That  I do  not  hold,”  answered  Atli. 

The  day  of  the  horse-fight  arrived,  and  the  horses 
were  led  to  the  place  of  contest.  They  had  been 
fed  up  and  groomed  for  the  occasion,  and  each  had 
a band  round  his  middle  of  color,  by  which  he  who 
went  with  the  horse  could  hold,  and  the  goad  of  each 
was  tied  with  a tuft  of  feathers  at  the  head,  stained 
the  same  color  as  the  belt  about  the  horse. 

The  two  horses  were  introduced  within  the  in- 
closure, and  were  soon  goaded  into  anger,  and  began 
to  plunge,  and  snort,  and  snap  at  each  other.  The 
by-standers  outside  the  railing  cheered  and  shouted, 
and  the  horses  seemed  to  understand  that  they  Avere 
to  do  their  best ; so  they  pranced  about  each  other, 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


84 

struck  at  each  other,  and  tried  to  get  round  each 
other  so  as  to  bite  the  flank.  At  one  moment  the 
roan  bit  the  side  of  the  brown,  and  held.  Odd  ran 
his  goad  into  the  horse  of  Grettir  to  make  it  let  go ; 
— this  was  against  the  rules ; he  did  it  to  save  his 
own  horse  from  a terrible  wound.  Grettir  saw  what 
he  did,  but  he  said  nothing.  ISTow  the  horses  bore  to- 
wards the  river,  and  were  rearing  and  plunging  close 
to  the  edge,  and  the  two  men  had  much  ado  to  hold 
on.  Then  Odd  took  the  opportunity  when  Grettir’s 
back  was  turned  to  drive  at  him  with  his  goad  be- 
tween the  shoulders,  where  was  the  great  scar  still 
red,  and  only  just  fully  healed,  that  he  had  received 
from  the  ax  of  Hiarandi.  It  was  a cruel  blow,  and 
this  also  was  against  all  rule  of  fair  play. 

At  that  moment  the  roan  reared,  and  instantly 
Grettir  ran  under  him,  and  struck  Odd  with  such  a 
blow  that  he  reeled  back  towards  the  water  edge, 
and  in  so  doing  dragged  the  brown  horse  he  was 
holding  over  the  edge,  and  both  went  down  into  the 
water  together.  The  river  was  very  full  with  the 
melted  snows,  and  Odd  was  brought  ashore  with 
difficulty.  It  was  found  that  three  of  his  ribs  were 
broken ; but  whether  with  the  blow  dealt  by  Grettir, 
or  by  his  fall  on  the  rock,  or  by  the  hoof  of  the  horse 
as  it  fell  and  struggled  in  the  river,  cannot  be  said ; 
hut  the  party  of  Kormak,  of  course,  charged  Grettir 
with  having  broken  Odd’s  ribs  with  his  stick,  and 
they  flew  to  arms,  and  threatened  the  party  from 
Biarg.  However,  the  people  of  the  nearest  vales 
and  firths  interfered,  and  no  bloodshed  ensued.  But 


THE  HORSE-FIGHT.  85 

the  men  of  Mals  and  of  Biarg  separated  bearing 
each  other  much  ill-will,  each  charging  the  other 
with  having  broken  the  laws  of  the  sport. 

Atli  did  not  say  what  he  felt,  he  was  greatly  an- 
noyed ; but  Grettir  was  less  careful  of  his  words, 
he  said  that  the  matter  was  by  no  means  ended, 
and  that  he  hoped  there  would  be  a meeting  be- 
tween the  men  of  Mals  and  the  men  of  Biarg,  and 
then — it  would  not  be  a fight  of  horses,  but  of  men ; 
not  a biting  of  horses,  but  of  sharp  blades. 


86 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

OP  THE  FIGHT  AT  THE  NECK. 

The  next  fiord  on  the  west  of  that  into  which  the 
river  that  flowed  past  Biarg  poured  was  called  the 
Ramsfirth,  and  at  the  head  of  it  lived  Grettir’s  mar- 
ried sister. 

In  the  following  summer,  that  is  in  1014,  Grettir 
paid  his  sister  a visit ; he  had  with  him  two  servant- 
men  from  Biarg,  and  he  spent  three  days  and  nights 
at  his  sister’s.  Whilst  there,  news  reached  him  that 
Kormak,  who  had  been  away  from  Mals  for  a week 
or  two,  was  on  his  road  home,  and  who  was  now 
staying  at  a house  called  Tongue.  Grettir  at  once 
made  ready  to  depart,  and  his  brother-in-law  sent 
two  men  with  him,  for  it  was  not  safe  that  Grettir 
should  have  only  two  churls  with  him,  as  there  was 
ill  blood  between  him  and  Kormak  about  that  affair 
of  the  horse-fight. 

A high,  long  shoulder  of  desolate  moor  lies  be- 
tween the  Ramsfirth  and  the  Westriver-dale,  in 
which  is  a confluent  of  the  river  that  flows  past 
Biarg.  This  shoulder  rises  to  the  north  into  a great 
hump,  called  Burfell,  and  on  the  saddle  is  a little 
lake.  A very  fine  view  is  obtained  from  this  shoul- 


OF  THE  FIGHT  AT  THE  NECK.  81/ 

der  of  moor  over  the  northern  immense  bay  of  Huna- 
floi,  towards  the  glaciers  and  mountains  of  that  curi- 
ous excrescence  of  land  that  lies  on  the  northwest 
of  Iceland.  I know  exactly  the  road  taken  by  Gret- 
tir  on  this  occasion,  for  I have  ridden  over  it.  Along 
the  top  of  this  shoulder  the  rocks  are  scraped  by 
glaciers,  that  must  at  one  time  have  occupied  the 
whole  center  of  the  island,  and  have  slowly  slidden 
down  into  the  firths  on  all  sides.  Here,  what  is 
curious  is,  that  the  rocks  are  furrowed,  just  as  if 
carved  with  a graving  tool,  in  lines  from  south  to 
north,  showing  the  direction  from  which  the  glaciers 
slipped  down.  Now,  on  the  slope  of  this  bit  of  up- 
land is  a great  stone  poised  on  a point,  which  I have 
seen.  Grettir  came  to  this  stone,  and  spent  a long 
time  in  trying  to  upset  it.  It  is  called  Grettir’s- 
heave  to  this  day.  The  men  who  were  with  him 
rather  wondered  at  him  why  he  wasted  time  over 
this,  instead  of  pushing  on.  But  his , sharp  eye  had 
noticed  the  party  of  Kormak  leaving  Tongue,  and 
he  was  bent  on  an  encounter.  He  thought  that  if 
Odd  had  seen  him  going  over  the  hill  he  would  make 
a lampoon  about  him  running  away  from  his  sister’s 
house  the  moment  he  heard  that  danger  was  threat- 
ening. So  he  determined  to  tarry  till  Kormak  came 
up  and  fight  him.  He  had  not  long  to  wait,  for 
presently  over  the  top  of  the  hill  came  Kormak  with 
Odd  and  some  others.  Grettir  at  once  rode  to  meet 
them,  and  said,  “ Now  we  have  our  weapons  on  both 
sides,  let  us  fight  like  men  of  good  birth,  and  not 
with  sticks  as  churls.” 


88  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

Then  Kormak  turned  to  his  men  and  bade  them 
accept  the  challenge  and  fight. 

Accordingly  thejr  ran  at  one  another  and  fought. 
Grettir  bade  his  two  serving-men  stand  behind  his 
back  and  defend  that,  and  he,  sweeping  his  long- 
sword  from  left  to  right,  went  forward  against 
Kormak.  Thus  they  fought  for  a while,  and  some 
were  wounded  on  both  sides. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  at  a rich  farm  in  the 
Kamsfirth-dale  lived  a well-to-do,  and  very  strong 
man,  called  Thorbiorn — that  is,  Thor’s  Bear — nick- 
named Oxmain.  He  had  ridden  that  day  over  Bur- 
fell-heath,  with  a party,  and  was  now  returning. 
As  he  came  along  he  heard  shouts  and  the  clashing 
of  arms,  so  he  quickened  his  pace,  and  presently 
came  in  sight  of  the  fighters.  He  at  once  ordered 
his  men  to  dash  in  between  the  combatants.  But 
by  this  time  the  passions  of  those  engaged  were  so 
furious  that  they  would  not  be  separated.  Grettir 
sweeping  his  long-sword  about  him  strode  forward, 
and  the  men  of  Kormak  fell  back  before  him.  Down 
went  two  of  those  who  were  with  Kormak,  and  one 
servant  of  Atli,  Grettir’s  brother,  was  killed. 

Then  Thorbiorn  Oxmain  raised  his  great  voice 
and  roared  out,  that  he  and  his  party  would  take 
sides  against  the  first  man  who  dealt  another  blow. 
Grettir  saw  that  it  would  hardly  do  if  Thorbiorn  Ox- 
main brought  all  his  force  against  him,  so  he  gave 
up  the  battle ; but  they  did  not  part  till  every  one 
of  those  engaged  was  wounded,  and  two  were  killed 
on  one  side,  and  one  on  the  other.  Grettir  was  ill 


OF  THE  FIGHT  AT  THE  NECK.  89 

pleased  that  the  affray  had  ended  in  this  manner, 
and  he  felt  resentment  against  Oxmain  for  his  inter- 
ference. Unfortunately,  Oxmain’s  brother, who  went 
by  the  name  of  the  Slow-coach,  made  fun  of  the 
matter,  and  laughed  about  Grettir  sneaking  away 
from  the  fight  directly  he  saw  that  he  was  getting 
the  worst  of  it.  Whatever  he  said  was  reported  at 
Biarg,  and,  as  may  well  be  imagined,  did  not  im- 
prove Grettir’s  temper,  or  liking  for  Oxmain  and 
Slow-coach.  Nothing  further  occurred  between  him 
and  Kormak,  probably  he  and  Kormak  were  content 
with  the  trial  of  strength  that  had  taken  place,  and 
were  disinclined  to  renew  a profitless  contest. 

Atli  took  no  notice  of  the  loss  of  his  house-churl ; 
he  desired  peace,  and  not  a stirring  afresh  of  the 
fires  of  discord.  To  his  peaceable  behavior  it  was 
doubtless  due  that  the  quarrel  with  Kormak  came 
to  an  end.  But  the  vexation  felt  by  Grettir  against 
Oxmain  for  his  meddlesomeness,  and  against  Slow- 
coach for  his  gibes,  rankled  in  his  breast. 


90 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

HOW  GEETTIE  AND  AUDUN  MADE  FEIENDS. 

G-eettie  remained  through  the  autumn  at  Biarg, 
after  the  skirmish  at  the  Heck,  till  September,  and 
then  he  thought  he  would  ride  away  east  and  see 
Audun  again,  with  whom  he  had  had  that  little  ruffle 
that  was  almost  a quarrel,  and  which  was  fortunately 
interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  Bard.  Audun  was  a 
cousin,  though  not  a near  one,  and  Grettir  had  no 
desire  that  any  bad  blood  should  exist  between  kins- 
folk. Audun  belonged  to  what  was  called  the  Mad- 
pate  family ; for  it  had  had  in  it  at  least  two  who 
had  been  so  odd  in  their  ways  that  folk  said  they 
were  not  quite  right  in  their  minds.  The  relation 
ship  will  easily  be  understood  by  a look  at  the  pedi- 
gree. It  will  be  remembered  that  old  Onund  Tree- 
foot,  who  had  settled  in  Iceland,  had  to  wife  secondly 
Thordis,  an  Icelandic  woman,  and  his  son  by  her  was 
Thorgrim  Grizzlepate,  and  this  Thorgrim  bought 
the  estate  and  house  of  Biarg  about  the  year  935. 
Onund  Treefoot  died  in  or  about  920,  and  then  his 
widow  Thordis  married  again  a man  called  Audun 
Skokull,  and  they  had  a son  who  was  called  Asgeir, 
who  settled  in  Willowdale,  and  either  went  off  his 


HOW  GRETTIR  AND  AUDUN  MADE  FRIENDS.  91 

head  or  proved  so  queer  in  his  ways  that  folks  called 
him  Madpate.  This  Madpate  married  and  had  a 
son  Audun,  and  a daughter  Thurid  who  married 
away  west  into  a very  good  family  ; and  she  had  a 
son  called  Thorstein  Kuggson,  of  whom  we  shall 
hear  more  presently.  Audun  of  Willowdale’s  son 
was  Madpate  the  Second,  and  the  lad  Audun  who 
wrestled  with  Grettir  and  burst  the  bottle  of  curds 
was  the  son  of  this  Madpate  the  Second.  Conse- 
quently the  relationship  to  Grettir  was  through 
Grettir’s  great-grandmother,  and  Audun  belonged  to 
a generation  younger  than  that  of  Grettir,  because 
Grettir  was  the  son  of  Asmund’s  old  age.  Moreover, 
Asmund’s  father  Thorgrim  had  married  somewhat 
late  in  life,  whereas  all  the  Madpate  family  had 
dashed  into  marriage  at  a very  early  age.  Thus  it 
came  about  that  Grettir’s  great-grandmother  was 
Audun’s  great-great-grandmother,  and  that,  never- 
theless, Audun  was  somewhat  older  than  Grettir. 

Grettir  rode  straight  up  oter  the  hill  behind  his 
house.  Now  this  hill  like  the  Neck,  already  de- 
scribed, is  rather  curious,  for  on  it  are  a number  of 
rocks  that  have  been  deposited  by  glaciers,  and  not 
only  so,  but  they  have  been  dragged  along  by  ice, 
scratching  the  rocks  over  which  they  were  driven 
forward,  and  so  these  beds  of  rock  are  rubbed  and 
scored  with  lines  made  by  the  stones  forced  over 
them  by  ice.  Above  Biarg  there  is  one  large  stone 
that  has  scratched  a deep  furrow  in  the  bed  of  rock 
and  then  has  stopped  at  the  end  of  the  furrow  it 
had  itself  scored.  This  remarkable  phenomenon 


92 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


tells  us  of  a time  when  the  whole  of  the  center  of 
Iceland  was  covered  with  glaciers,  like  the  center 
of  Greenland  now.  These  glaciers  slid  down  the 
slopes  of  the  hills,  and  were  thrust  along  to  the  sea, 
where  they  broke  off  and  floated  away  as  icebergs. 

Nowadays  folk  in  Iceland  do  not  understand 
these  odd  stones  perched  in  queer  places,  which  were 
deposited  by  the  ancient  glaciers,  and  they  call  them 
Grettir-taks  or  Grettir’s-heaves.  So  the  farmer  at 
Biarg  told  me  that  the  curious  stone  at  the  end  of 
the  furrow  in  the  bed  of  rock  on  top  of  the  hill  was 
a Grettir-tak;  it  had  been  rubbed  along  the  rock 
and  left  where  it  stands  by  Grettir.  But  I knew 
better.  I knew  that  it  was  put  there  by  an  ancient 
glacier  ages  before  Grettir  was  born,  and  before  Ice- 
land was  discovered  by  the  Norsemen.  I have  no 
doubt  that  in  Grettir’s  time  this  stone  was  said  to 
have  been  put  there  by  some  troll.  Afterwards, 
when  people  ceased  to  believe  in  trolls,  they  said  it 
was  put  there  by  Grettir. 

Grettir’s  ride  led  him  by  a pretty  little  blue  lake 
that  lies  folded  in  between  high  hills  and  has  a 
stream  flowing  from  it  into  a very  large  lake  near 
Hop.  But  he  did  not  follow  the  stream  down ; he 
crossed  another  hill,  not  very  steep  and  high,  and 
reached  his  cousin’s  house  at  Audunstead  in  Willow- 
dale.  Now  this  valley  took  its  name  from  the  woods 
of  willows  that  grew  in  it  when  first  settled,  but  at 
the  present  day  none  remain  ; all  have  in  course  of 
time  been  burnt  for  fuel,  and  except  for  scanty  grass 
the  Willowdale  is  very  dreary-looking.  We  may 


HOW  GRETTIR  AND  AUDUN  MADE  FRIENDS.  93 

be  sure  that  Iceland  presented  a much  more  smiling 
and  green  appearance  eight  hundred  or  a thousand 
years  ago  than  it  does  at  present. 

When  Grettir  came  to  Willowdale,  Audun  received 
him  in  a friendly  manner,  and  Grettir  made  him  a 
present  of  a handsome  ax  he  had.  He  remained 
with  him  some  little  while,  and  they  talked  over  old 
tales  of  Onund  Treefoot  and  his  doings,  and  every 
shadow  of  rivalry  and  anger  disappeared,  so  that 
they  parted  at  length  in  the  best  of  tempers  and  as 
true  and  affectionate  cousins. 

Audun  would  have  desired  to  keep  Grettir  there 
longer,  but  Grettir  would  not  stay.  He  desired  to 
get  on  to  the  head  of  Waterdale,  where  lived  an 
uncle  of  his  called  Jokull,  his  mother’s  brother,  at  a 
place  called  Tongue. 

So  he  rode  away  over  the  moor,  and  reached 
Tongue.  Here  a stream  comes  rushing  through  a 
gorge  in  a series  of  waterfalls,  and  meets  another 
stream  that  comes  down  a valley  called  the  Valley 
of  Shadows  further  east. 

Tongue  is  so  called  because  it  lies  on  a grassy 
slope  exactly  in  the  tongue  of  land  between  these 
two  streams.  There  is  now  a good  farm  there  and 
a church,  and  there  I stayed  a few  days.  At  the 
back  of  Tongue  the  hill  rises  rapidly  to  a fell  called 
Tongue-heath.  This  hill  was  covered  with  snow 
when  Grettir  arrived.  This  uncle  Jokull  was  glad 
to  see  him. 

He  was  a rough  and  violent  man,  very  big  and 
strong ; and  it  was  clear  to  every  one  that  his  nephew 


94 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


took  after  his  mother’s  family  more  than  his  father’s, 
for  there  was  a strong  likeness  both  in  build  and  face 
and  in  character  between  Jokull  and  Grettir. 

He  received  Grettir  heartily  in  his  rough,  blunt 
way,  and  bade  him  stay  there  as  long  as  he  liked. 
Jokull  had  been  a seafaring  man,  and  had  made 
much  by  his  merchant  trips.  He  would  probably 
have  been  a richer  and  more  respected  man  had  he 
not  been  so  violent  and  overbearing  and  ready  to 
pick  quarrels. 

Now  Grettir  had  not  been  at  Tongue  three  days 
before  he  heard  a very  strange  tale.  Jokull’s  mouth 
was  full  of  it,  and  with  good  reason,  for  the  events 
had  taken  place  not  an  hour’s  ride  distant.  It  was 
a tale  about  the  nearest  farm  in  the  Valley  of 
Shadows,  a farm  called  Thorhall’s-stead,  which  was 
reported  to  be  haunted ; and  so  serious  had  affairs 
become  there  that  no  servants  would  remain,  and 
the  farmer  and  his  family  had  been  driven  from 
house  and  home  by  the  hauntings  last  winter,  and 
had  come  and  lodged  with  Jokull  at  Tongue,  and 
he  had  entertained  them  for  some  two  or  three 
months.  Now  this  was  not  a case  of  mere  fancy 
and  fantastic  fear.  It  was  something  very  real  and 
very  marvelous.  But  it  is  a long  story,  and  must 
be  consigned  to  another  chapter. 


THE  VALE  OF  SHADOWS. 


95 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  VALE  OF  SHADOWS. 

We  have  come  now  to  an  incident  which  formed 
a turning-point  in  Grettir’s  life.  It  is  a very  mys- 
terious and  inexplicable  story,  not  one  that  can  be 
put  aside  as  we  have  that  of  his  fight  in  the  tomb 
with  Karr  the  Old.  This  is  a story  even  more  grue- 
some. It  relates  to  an  event  that  so  shook  Grettir’s 
nerves  that  he  never  after  could  endure  to  be  alone 
in  the  dark,  and  would  risk  all  kinds  of  dangers  to 
escape  solitude.  How  much  of  truth  lies  under  this 
strange  narrative  we  cannot  now  say,  but  that  some- 
thing really  did  take  place  is  certain  from  the  effect 
it  had  on  Grettir  ever  after. 

The  richest  valley  for  grass  in  all  this  quarter  of 
Iceland,  and  the  most  peopled,  is  the  Waterdale. 
On  the  east  rises  a mountain  ridge  of  precipitous 
basaltic  cliffs,  down  which  leap  waterfalls  from  the 
snows  above.  The  river  that  flows  through  this 
valley  is  fed  by  two  main  streams  that  unite  at  the 
farm  called  Tongue.  The  stream  on  the  east  rises 
a long  way  inland  in  a mass  of  lava,  and  flows 
through  a valley  so  narrow  and  so  gloomy  that  it, 
goes  by  the  name  of  the  Valley  of  Shadows*  The 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


96 

high  ranges  of  moor  and  waste  to  the  south  shut  off 
the  southern  sun,  and  the  lofty  banks  of  mountain 
to  east  and  west  so  close  it  in  that  it  gets  no  sun 
morning  or  evening. 

A little  way  up  this  valley — not  far,  and  not 
where  it  is  most  gloomy — are  now  the  scanty  ruins 
of  a farm  called  Thorhall’s-stead.  Above  this  the 
valley  so  contracts  and  the  hills  are  so  steep  that  it 
is  only  with  great  difficulty  that  a horse  can  be  led 
along.  This  I know  very  well ; for  in  crossing  an 
avalanche  slide  my  horse  and  I were  almost  precipi- 
tated into  the  torrent  below.  Further  up  the  valley 
stands  a tongue  of  high  land  with  a waterfall  on  one 
side  and  the  ravine  on  the  other,  and  here  at  one 
time  some  robbers  had  their  fortress  who  were  the 
terror  of  the  neighborhood.  No  trace  of  their  fort- 
ress remains  at  present,  but  it  was  to  find  this  place 
that  I explored  the  valley. 

In  the  farm  that  is  now  but  a heap  of  ruins  lived 
a bonder  named  Thorhall  and  his  wife.  He  was  not 
a man  of  much  consideration  in  the  district,  for 
he  was  planted  on  cold,  poor  land,  and  his  wealth 
was  hut  small.  Moreover,  he  had  no  servants ; and 
the  reason  was  that  his  sheep-walks  were  haunted. 

Not  a herdsman  would  remain  with  him.  He 
offered  high  wages,  he  threatened,  he  entreated,  all 
in  vain.  On  shepherd  after  another  left  his  service, 
and  things  came  to  such  a pass  that  he  determined 
to  have  the  advice  of  the  law-man  or  chief  judge  at 
the  next  annual  assize. 

He  saddled  his  horse  and  rode  to  Thingvalla. 


THE  VALE  OF  SHADOWS.  9 7 

Skapti  was  the  name  of  the  judge  then,  a man  with 
a long  head,  and  deemed  the  best  of  men  for  giving 
counsel.  Thorhall  told  him  his  trouble. 

“ I can  help  you,”  said  Skapti.  “ There  is  a shep- 
herd who  has  been  with  me,  a rude,  strange  man, 
but  afraid  of  neither  man  nor  hobgoblin,  and  strong 
as  a bull ; but  he  is  not  very  clear  in  his  intel- 
lect.” 

“ That  does  not  matter,”  said  Thorhall,  “ so  long 
as  he  can  mind  sheep.” 

“ You  may  trust  him  for  that,”  said  Skapti.  “ He 
is  a Swede,  and  his  name  is  Glam.” 

Towards  the  end  of  the  assize  two  gray  horses 
belonging  to  Thorhall  slipped  their  hobbles  and 
strayed  ; so,  as  he  had  no  serving-man,  he  went  after 
them  himself,  and  on  his  way  met  a strange-looking 
fellow,  driving  before  him  an  ass  laden  with  fagots. 
The  man  was  tall  and  stalwart ; his  face  attracted 
Thorhall’s  attention,  for  the  eyes  were  ashen  gray 
and  staring.  The  powerful  jaw  was  furnished  with 
white  protruding  teeth,  and  about  his  low  brow  hung 
bunches  of  coarse  wolf-gray  hair. 

“ Pray,  what  are  you  called  ? ” asked  Thorhall,  for 
he  suspected  that  this  was  the  man  Skapti  had 
spoken  about. 

“ Glam,  at  your  service.” 

“ Do  you  like  your  present  duties — wood-cutting  ? ” 
asked  the  farmer. 

“ No,  I do  not.  I am  properly  a shepherd.” 

“ Then,  will  you  come  with  me  ? Skapti  has 
spoken  of  you  and  offered  you  to  me.” 


98  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

“ What  are  the  drawbacks  to  your  service  1 ” 
asked  Glam  cautiously. 

“ None,  save  that  my  sheep-walks  are  haunted.” 

“ Oh ! is  that  all  ? Ghosts  won’t  scare  me.  Here 
is  my  hand.  I will  come  to  you  before  winter.” 

They  separated,  and  soon  after  the  farmer  found 
his  horses ; they  had  got  into  a little  wood,  and  were 
nibbling  the  willow  tops.  He  went  home,  having 
thanked  Skapti. 

Summer  passed,  then  autumn,  and  nothing  further 
was  heard  of  Glam:  The  winter  storms  began  to 

bluster  up  the  valley  from  the  cold  Polar  Sea,  driv- 
ing the  flying  snowflakes  and  heaping  them  in  drifts 
at  every  turn  of  the  vale.  Ice  formed  in  the  shallows 
of  the  river,  and  the  streams  which  in  summer 
trickled  down  the  sides  were  now  turned  to  icicles. 
I was  there  the  very  end  of  June,  and  then  the 
whole  of  the  mountain  flank  to  the  west  was  covered 
with  frozen  streams  spread  like  a net  of  icicle  over 
the  black  and  red  striped  bare  rock. 

One  gusty  night  a violent  blow  at  the  door  startled 
all  in  the  farm.  In  another  moment  Glam,  tall  and 
wild,  stood  in  the  hall  glowering  out  of  his  gray 
staring  eyes,  his  hair  matted  with  frost,  his  teeth 
rattling  and  snapping  with  cold,  his  face  blood-red 
in  the  glare  of  the  fire  that  -glowed  in  the  center  of 
the  hall. 

He  was  well  received  by  Thorhall,  but  the  house- 
wife did  not  like  the  man’s  looks,  and  did  not  wel- 
come him  with  much  heartiness.  Time  passed,  and 
the  shepherd  was  on  the  moors  every  day  with  the 


THE  VALE  OF  SHADOWS.  99 

flock ; his  loud  and  deep-toned  voice  was  often  borne 
down  on  the  wind  as  he  shouted  to  the  sheep,  driv- 
ing them  to  fold.  His  presence  always  produced  a 
chill  in  the  house,  and  when  he  spoke  it  sent  a thrill 
through  the  women,  who  did,  not  like  him. 

Christmas-eve  was  raw  and  windy;  masses  of 
gray  vapor  rolled  up  from  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and 
hung  in  piles  about  the  mountain  tops.  Now  and 
then  a scud  of  frozen  fog,  covering  bar  and  beam 
with  feathery  hoar-frost,  swept  up  the  glen.  As  the 
day  declined,  snow  began  to  fall  in  large  flakes. 

"When  the  wind  lulled  there  could  be  heard  the 
shout  of  Glam  high  up  on  the  hillside.  Darkness 
closed  in,  and  with  the  darkness  the  snow  fell  thicker. 
There  was  a church  then  at  Thorhall’s  farm ; there 
is  none  there  now,  since  the  valley  has  been  aban- 
doned from  its  cold  and  ill  name. 

The  lights  were  kindled  in  the  church,  and  every 
snowflake  as  it  sailed  down  past  the  open  door  burned 
like  a golden  feather  in  the  light. 

When  the  service  was  over,  and  the  farmer  and 
his  party  returned  to  the  house,  Glam  had  not  come 
home.  This  was  strange ; as  he  could  not  live 
abroad  in  the  cold,  and  the  sheep  would  also  require 
shelter.  Thorhall  was  uneasy  and  proposed  a search, 
but  no  one  would  go  with  him  ; and  no  wonder,  it 
was  not  a night  for  a dog  to  be  out  in,  and  the 
tracks  would  all  be  buried  in  snow.  So  the  family 
sat  up  all  night  listening,  trembling  and  anxious. 

Day  broke  at  last  faintly  in  the  south  over  the 
great  white  masses  of  mountains.  Now  a party 


100 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

was  formed  to  search  for  the  missing  man.  A sharp 
climb  brought  them  to  the  top  of  the  moor  above 
Tongue.  Here  and  there  a sheep  was  found  shiver- 
ing under  a rock  or  half  buried  in  a snowdrift,  but 
of  Glam — not  a sign. 

Presently  the  whole  party  was  called  together 
about  a spot  on  the  hilltop  where  the  snow  was 
trampled  and  kicked  about,  and  it  was  clear  that 
some  desperate  struggle  had  taken  place  there. 
There  the  snow  was  also  dabbled  with  frozen  blood. 
A red  track  led  further  up  the  mountain  side,  and 
the  searchers  were  following  it  when  a boy  uttered 
a shriek  of  fear.  In  looking  behind  a rock  he  had 
come  on  the  corpse  of  the  shepherd  lying  on  its  back 
with  the  arms  extended.  The  body  was  taken  up 
and  carried  to  the  edge  of  the  gorge,  and  was  there 
buried  under  a pile  of  stones,  heaped  over  it  to  the 
height  of  about  six  feet.  How  Glam  had  died,  by 
whom  killed,  no  one  knew,  nor  could  they  make  a 
guess. 

Two  nights  after  this  one  of  the  thralls  who  had 
gone  for  the  cows  burst  into  the  hall  with  a face 
blank  from  terror ; he  staggered  to  a seat  and 
fainted.  On  recovering  his  senses,  in  a broken  voice 
he  assured  those  who  were  round  him  that  he  had 
seen  Glam  walking  past  him,  with  huge  strides,  as 
he  left  the  stable  door.  The  shepherd  had  turned 
his  head  and  looked  at  him  fixedly  from  his  great 
gray  staring  eyes.  On  the  following  day  a stable 
lad  was  found  in  a fit  under  a wall,  and  he  never 
after  recovered  his  senses.  It  was  thought  he  must 


THE  VALE  OF  SHADOWS. 


101 


have  seen  something  that  had  scared  him.  Next, 
some  of  the  women  declared  that  they  had  seen 
Glam  looking  in  on  them  through  a window  of 
the  dairy.  In  the  dusk  Thorhall  himself  met  the 
dead  man,  who  stood  and  glowered  at  him,  but 
made  no  attempt  to  injure  his  master,  and  uttered 
not  a word.  The  haunting  did  not  end  thus. 
Nightly  a heavy  tread  was  heard  round  the  house, 
and  a hand  groping  along  the  walls,  and  sometimes 
a hand  came  in  at  the  windows,  a great  coarse  hand, 
that  in  the  red  light  from  the  fire  seemed  as  though 
steeped  in  blood. 

When  the  spring  came  round  the  disturbances 
lessened,  and  as  the  sun  obtained  full  power,  ceased 
altogether. 

During  the  course  of  the  summer  a Norwegian 
vessel  came  into  the  fiord ; Thorhall  went  on  board 
and  found  there  a man  named  Thorgaut,  who  had 
come  out  in  search  of  work.  Thorhall  engaged  him 
as  a shepherd,  but  not  without  honestly  telling  him 
his  trouble,  and  what  there  was  uncanny  about  his 
sheep-walks,  and  how  Glam  had  fared.  The  man 
did  not  regard  his,  he  laughed,  and  promised  to  be 
with  Thorhall  at  the  appointed  season. 

Accordingly  he  arrived  in  autumn,  and  he  soon 
established  himself  as  a favorite  in  the  house ; he 
romped  with  the  children,  helped  his  fellow-servants, 
and  was  as  much  liked  as  his  predecessor  had  been 
detested.  He  was  such  a merry  careless  fellow  that 
he  did  not  think  anything  of  the  risks  that  lay 
before  him,  and  joked  about  them. 


102 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


"When  winter  set  in  strange  sights  and  sounds 
began  to  alarm  the  folk  at  the  farm,  but  Thorgaut 
was  not  troubled ; he  slept  too  soundly  at  night  to 
be  disturbed  by  the  heavy  tread  round  the  house. 

On  the  day  before  Yule,  as  was  his  wont,  Thor- 
gaut drove  out  the  sheep  to  pasture.  Thorhall  was 
uneasy.  He  said  to  him  : “ I pray  you  be  careful, 
and  do  not  go  near  the  barrow  under  which  Glam 
was  laid.” 

“ Don’t  fear  for  me,”  laughed  Thorgaut,  “ I shall 
be  back  in  time  for  supper,  and  shall  attend  you  to 
church.” 

Night  settled  in,  but  no  Thorgaut  arrived.  There 
was  little  mirth  at  table  when  the  supper  was  brought 
in.  All  were  anxious  and  fearful. 

The  wind  was  cold  and  wetting.  Blocks  of  ice 
were  driving  about  in  the  bay,  grinding  against 
each  other,  and  the  sound  could  be  heard  far  up  the 
valley.  Aloft,  the  aurora  flames  were  lighting  up 
the  heavens  with  an  arch  of  fire.  Again  this 
Christmas  night  the  dwellers  in  the  farm  sat  up 
and  did  not  go  to  bed,  waiting  for  the  return  of 
Thorgaut,  but  he  did  not  arrive. 

Next  morning  he  was  sought,  and  was  found  lying 
dead  across  the  barrow  of  Glam,  with  his  spine  and 
one  leg  and  one  arm  broken.  He  was  brought  home 
and  laid  in  the  churchyard. 

Matters  now  rapidly  became  worse.  Outbuildings 
were  broken  into  of  a night,  and  their  woodwork 
was  rent  and  shattered  ; the  house  door  was  violently 
shaken,  and  great  pieces  of  it  were  torn  away  ; the 


THE  VALE  OF  SHADOWS.  103 

gables  of  the  house  were  also  pulled  furiously  to 
and  fro. 

Now  it  fell  out  that  one  morning  the  only  man 
who  remained  in  the  service  of  the  family  went  out 
early.  Not  another  servant  dared  to  remain  in  the 
place,  and  this  man  remained  because  he  had  been 
with  Thorhall  and  with  his  father,  and  he  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  to  desert  his  master  in  his  need. 
About  an  hour  after  he  had  gone  out  Thorhall’s 
wife  took  her  milking  cans  and  went  to  the  cow- 
house that  she  might  milk  the  cows,  as  she  had  now 
not  a maid  in  the  house,  and  had  to  do  everything 
herself.  On  reaching  the  door  of  the  cow-house  she 
heard  a terrible  sound  from  within,  the  bellowing  of 
the  cattle,  and  the  deep  bell-notes  of  an  unearthly 
voice.  She  was  so  frightened  that  she  dropped  her 
pails  and  ran  back  to  the  house  and  called  her  hus- 
band. Thorhall  was  in  bed,  but  he  rose  instantly, 
caught  up  a weapon,  and  hastened  to  the  cow- 
house. 

On  opening  the  door  he  found  all  the  cattle  loose 
and  goring  each  other.  Slung  across  the  stone  that 
separated  their  stalls  was  the  old  serving-man,  per- 
fectly dead,  with  his  back  broken.  He  had,  appar- 
ently been  tossed  by  the  cows,  and  had  fallen  on 
this  stone  backwards. 

Neither  Thorhall  nor  his  wife  explained  his  death 
in  this  way;  they  thought  that  Glam  must  have 
been  there,  have  driven  the  cattle  wild,  and  that 
just  as  he  had  broken  the  back  of  Thorgaut,  so  had 
he  now  broken  that  of  the  poor  old  serving-man. 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


104 

It  was  impossible  for  the  bonder  to  remain  longer 
in  that  place ; he  and  his  wife  therefore  removed 
down  to  Tongue,  which  lies  at  the  junction  of  the 
two  rivers,  and  there  things  were  quiet.  There  he 
was  hospitably  received  by  Jokull.  Thorhall  was 
able  to  persuade  some  of  his  runaway  servants  to 
come  back  to  him,  but  no  man  all  that  winter  would 
go  near  the  moor  where  was  the  barrow  of  the 
shepherd  Glam. 

Hot  till  the  summer  returned,  and  the  sun  had  dis- 
pelled the  darkness,  did  Thorhall  venture  back  to  the 
Yale  of  Shadows.  In  the  meanwhile  his  daughter’s 
health  had  given  way  under  the  repeated  alarms  of 
the  winter ; she  became  paler  every  day ; with  the 
autumn  flowers  she  faded,  and  was  laid  in  the 
churchyard  before  the  first  snowflakes  fell.  What 
was  Thorhall  to  do  through  the  winter?  He  knew 
that  it  was  not  possible  for  him  to  secure  servants 
if  he  remained  on  his  own  farm ; besides,  he  did  not 
know  what  loss  might  come  to  his  stock.  Then,  he 
could  not  spend  the  whole  winter  at  Tongue,  for 
that  was  another  bonder’s  house,  and  though  the 
farmer  there  had  kindly  received  him  and  enter- 
tained him  for  three  months  the  winter  before,  he 
could  not  ask  him  to  give  him  houseroom  to  him- 
self, his  cattle,  and  servants  for  a whole  long  winter. 

So  he  was  in  the  greatest  possible  perplexity 
what  to  do.  Help  came  to  him  from  an  unexpected 
quarter. 

Grettir  had  heard  the  story  of  the  hauntings, 
and  he  rode  to  Thorhall’s  farm  and  asked  if  he 


THE  VALE  OF  SHADOWS.  105 

might  be  accommodated  there  for  the  night.  He 
said  that  it  was  his  great  desire  to  encounter  Glam. 

Thorhall  was  surprised,  but  not  exactly  pleased, 
for  he  thought  that  the  family  at  Biarg  would 
attribute  the  wrong  to  him  were  anything  to  happen 
to  Grettir. 

Grettir  put  his  horse  into  the  stable,  and  retired 
for  the  night  to  one  of  the  beds  in  the  hall  and 
slept  soundly. 


io6 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTEB  XY. 

HOW  GRETTIR  FOUGHT  WITH  GLAM. 

Next  morning  Grettir  went  with  Thorhall  to  the 
stable  for  his  horse.  The  strong  wooden  door  was 
shivered  and  driven  in.  They  stepped  across  it; 
Grettir  called  to  his  horse,  but  there  was  no  respon- 
sive whinny.  Grettir  dashed  into  the  stall  and 
found  his  horse  dead  ; its  neck  was  broken. 

“Now,”  said  Thorhall,  “I  will  give  you  ahorse 
in  exchange  for  that  you  have  lost.  You  had  better 
ride  home  to  Biarg  at  once.” 

“Not  at  all.  My  horse  has  been  killed,  and  I 
must  avenge  it.”  So  Grettir  remained. 

Night  set  in.  Grettir  ate  a hearty  supper,  and 
was  right  merry.  But  not  so  Thorhall,  who  had 
his  misgivings.  At  bed-time  the  latter  crept  into  a 
locked  bedstead  beside  the  hall ; but  Grettir  said  he 
would  not  go  into  a bed,  he  would  lie  by  the  fire  in 
the  hall.  So  he  wrapped  himself  up  in  a long  fur 
cloak  and  flung  himself  on  a bench,  with  his  feet 
against  the  posts  of  the  high  seat.  The  fur  cloak 
was  over  his  head,  and  he  kept  an  opening  through 
which  he  could  look  out. 

There  was  a fire  burning  on  the  hearth,  a smol- 


HOW  GRETTIR  FOUGHT  WITH  GLAM.  IC>7 

dering  heap  of  glowing  embers,  and  by  the  red  light 
Grettir  looked  up  at  the  rafters  of  the  blackened 
roof.  The  smoke  escaped  by  a louvre  in  the  middle. 
The  wind  whistled  mournfully.  The  windows  high 
up  were  covered  with  parchment,  and  admitted 
now  and  then  a sickly  yellow  glare  from  the  full 
moon,  which,  however,  shone  in  through  the  smoke 
hole,  silvering  the  rising  smoke.  A dog  began  to 
bark,  then  bay  at  the  moon.  Then  the  cat,  which 
had  been  sitting  demurely  watching  the  fire,  stood 
up  with  raised  back  and  bristling  tail,  and  darted 
behind  some  chests.  The  hall-door  was  in  a sad 
plight.  It  had  been  so  torn  by  Glam  that  it  had 
to  be  patched  up  with  wattles.  Soothingly  the 
river  prattled  over  its  shingly  bed  as  it  swept  round 
the  knoll  on  which  stood  the  farm.  Grettir  heard 
the  breathing  of  the  sleeping  women  in  the  adjoin- 
ing chamber,  and  the  sigh  of  the  housewife  as  she 
turned  in  her  bed. 

Then  suddenly  he  heard  something  that  shook  all 
the  sleep  out  of  him,  had  any  been  stealing  over  his 
eyes.  He  heard  a heavy  tread,  beneath  which  the 
snow  crackled.  Every  footfall  went  straight  to 
Grettir’s  heart.  A crash  on  the  turf  overhead. 
The  strange  visitant  had  scrambled  on  the  roof,  and 
was  walking  over  that.  The  roofs  of  the  houses  in 
Iceland  are  of  turf.  For  a moment  the  chimney 
gap  was  completely  darkened — the  monster  was 
looking  down  it — the  flash  of  the  red  fire  illumined 
the  horrible  face  with  its  lack-luster  eyes.  Then 
the  moon  shone  in  again,  and  the  heavy  tramp  of 


io8 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


Glam  was  heard  as  he  walked  to  the  other  end  of 
the  hall.  A thud — he  had  leaped  down. 

Then  Grettir  heard  his  steps  passing  to  the  back 
of  the  house,  then  the  snapping  of  wood  showed 
that  Glam  was  destroying  some  of  the  outhouse 
doors.  Presently  the  tread  was  heard  again  ap- 
proaching the  house,  and  this  time  the  main  entrance. 
Grettir  thought  he  could  distinguish  a pair  of  great 
hands  thrust  in  over  the  broken  door.  In  another 
moment  he  heard  a loud  snap — a long  plank  had 
been  torn  out  of  place,  and  the  light  of  the  moon 
shone  in  where  the  gap  had  been  made.  Then  Glam 
began  to  unrip  the  wattles. 

There  was  a cross-beam  to  the  door,  acting  as 
bolt.  Against  the  gray  light  Grettir  saw  a huge 
black  arm  thrust  in  trying  to  remove  the  bar.  It 
was  done,  and  then  all  the  broken  door  was  driven 
in  and  went  down  on  the  floor  in  shivers.  Now 
Grettir  could  see  a tall  dark  figure,  almost  naked, 
with  wild  locks  of  hair  about  the  head  standing  in 
the  doorway.  That  was  but  for  a minute,  and  then 
Glam  came  in  stealthily ; he  entered  the  hall  and 
was  illumined  by  the  firelight.  The  figure  Grettir 
now  saw  was  unlike  anything  he  had  seen  before. 
A few  rags  hung  from  the  shoulders  and  waist,  the 
long  Avolf-gray  hair  was  matted.  The  eyes  were 
staring  and  strange.  Grettir  could  hear  Thorhall 
within  his  locked  bed  trembling  and  breathing  fast. 

Presently  Glam’s  eyes  rested  on  the  shaggy  bundle 
by  the  high  seat.  He  stepped  towards  it,  and  Grettir 
felt  him  groping  about  him.  Then  Glam  laid  hold 


HOW  GRETTIR  FOUGHT  WITH  GLAM.  109 

of  one  end  of  the  fur  cloak  and  began  to  pull  at  it. 
The  cloak  did  not  come  away.  Another  jerk. 
Grettir  kept  his  feet  firmly  pressed  against  the  posts, 
so  that  the  fur  was  not  pulled  away.  Glam  seemed 
puzzled ; he  went  to  the  other  end  of  the  bundle  and 
began  to  pull  at  that.  Grettir  held  to  the  bench, 
so  that  he  was  not  moved  himself,  but  the  fur  cloak 
was  torn  in  half,  and  the  strange  visitant  staggered 
back  holding  the  portion  in  his  hand  wonderingly 
before  his  eyes.  Before  he  could  recover  from  his 
surprise,  Grettir  started  to  his  feet,  bent  his  body, 
flung  his  arms  round  Glam,  and  driving  his  head 
into  the  breast  of  the  visitor,  tried  to  bend  him 
backward  and  so  snap  his  spine.  This  was  in  vain, 
the  cold  hands  grasped  Grettir’s  arms  and  tore  them 
from  their  hold.  Grettir  clasped  them  again  about 
his  body,  and  then  Glam  threw  his  also  round 
Grettir,  and  they  began  to  wrestle.  Grettir  saw 
that  Glam  was  trying  to  drag  him  to  the  door,  and 
he  was  sure  that  if  he  were  got  outside  he  would  be 
at  a disadvantage,  and  Glam  would  break  his  back. 
He  therefore  made  a desperate  effort  not  to  be  drawn 
forth.  He  clung  to  benches  and  posts,  but  the  posts 
gave  way,  and  the  benches  were  torn  from  their 
places. 

At  each  moment  he  was  being  dragged  nearer 
to  the  door.  Sharply  twisting  himself  loose,  Grettir 
flung  his  arms  round  a beam  of  the  roof,  for  the  hall 
was  low.  He  was  dragged  off  his  feet  at  once. 
Glam  clenched  him  about  the  waist,  and  tore  at  him 
to  get  him  loose.  Every  tendon  in  Grettir’s  breast 


IIO  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

was  strained  ; still  he  held  on.  The  nails  of  Glam 
cut  into  his  side  like  knives,  then  his  hands  gave 
way.  He  could  endure  the  strain  no  longer,  and 
Glam  drew  him  towards  the  doorway,  in  so  doing 
trampling  over  the  broken  fragments  of  the  door, 
and  the  wattles  that  lay  about.  Grettir  knew  that 
the  last  chance  was  come  for  saving  himself.  Here, 
in  the  hall,  he  could  hold  to  posts  and  beams,  and 
so  make  some  resistance ; but  outside  he  would  have 
nothing  to  cling  to,  and  strong  though  he  was,  his 
strength  did  not  equal  that  of  his  opponent. 

Now  the  door  posts  were  of  stone,  and  the  beam 
that  had  served  as  bolt  went  across  the  door,  slid 
into  a hollow  on  one  side  cut  in  the  door-post,  and 
was  pulled  across  and  fitted  into  another  hollow  in 
the  other  post.  As  the  wrestlers  neared  the  open- 
ing, Grettir  planted  both  his  feet  against  the  stone 
posts,  one  against  each,  and  put  his  arms  round 
Glam.  He  had  the  enemy  now  at  an  advantage  ; 
but  then,  he  merely  held  him,  and  could  not  hold  him 
so  for  ever.  He  called  to  Thorhall,  but  Thorhall 
was  too  greatly  frightened  to  leave  his  place  of 
refuge. 

“ Now,”  thought  Grettir,  “ if  I can  but  break  his 
back ! ” Then  drawing  Glam  to  him  by  the  middle, 
he  put  his  head  beneath  the  chin  of  his  opponent 
and  forced  back  the  head.  If  he  could  only  drive 
the  head  far  enough  back  he  would  break  his  neck. 

At  that  moment  one  or  both  of  the  door-posts 
gave  way ; down  crashed  the  gable-trees,  ripping 
beams  and  rafters  from  their  places,  frozen  clods  of 


HOW  GRETTIR  FOUGHT  WITH  GLAM.  Ill 


turf  rattled  from  the  roof  and  thumped  into  the 
snow. 

Glam  fell  on  his  back  outside  the  door,  and  Grettir 
on  top  of  him.  The  moon  was,  as  I said  before,  at 
her  full ; large  white  clouds  chased  each  other  across 
the  sky.  Grettir’s  strength  was  failing  him,  his  hands 
quivered  in  the  snow,  and  he  knew  that  he  could 
not  support  himself  from  dropping  flat  on  the 
mysterious  and  dreadful  visitant,  eye  to  eye,  lip  to 
lip. 

Then  Glam  said  : “ You  have  done  ill  matching 
yourself  with  me ; now  know  that  never  shall  you 
be  stronger  than  you  are  to-day,  and  that,  to  your 
dying  day,  whenever  you  are  in  the  dark  you  will 
see  my  eyes  staring  at  you,  so  that  for  very  horror 
you  will  not  dare  to  be  alone.” 

At  this  moment  Grettir  saw  his  short  sword  in 
the  snow,  it  had  slipped  from  his  belt  as  he  fell. 
He  put  out  his  hand  at  once,  clutched  the  handle, 
and  with  a blow  cut  off  Glam’s  head,  and  at  once 
laid  it  beside  his  thigh. 

Thorhall  came  out  at  this  juncture,  his  face 
blanched ; but  when  he  saw  how  the  fray  had 
ended,  he  joyfully  assisted  Grettir  to  roll  the  dead 
man  to  the  top  of  a pile  of  fagots  that  had  been 
collected  for  winter  fuel.  Fire  was  applied,  and 
soon  far  down  the  Waterdale  the  flames  of  the  pyre 
startled  folks,  and  made  them  wonder  what  new 
horror  was  being  enacted  in  the  Yale  of  Shadows. 

Next  day  the  charred  bones  were  conveyed  along 
way — some  hours’  ride — into  the  great  desert  in  the 


1 12 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


interior,  and  in  one  of  the  most  lonely  spots  there  a 
cairn  or  pile  of  stones  was  heaped  over  them.  I have 
seen  this  mound,  which  is  still  pointed  out  as  that 
under  which  the  redoubted  Glam  lies. 

And  now  we  may  well  ask,  what  truth  is  there  in 
the  story  ? That  there  is  a basis  of  truth  can  hardly 
be  denied.  The  facts  have  been  embellished,  worked 
up,  but  not  invented.  The  only  probable  explanation 
of  the  story  is  this. 

As  already  said,  further  up  the  valley,  in  a spot 
difficult  to  be  reached,  stood  the  old  fortress  of  some 
robbers,  with  many  caves  in  the  sandstone  about  it 
very  convenient  for  shelter.  Now,  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  some  madman  may  have  taken  refuge  in 
this  safe  retreat,  and  may  have  come  out  at  night  in 
search  of  food,  and  carried  off  the  sheep  of  Thorhall. 
It  may  be  that  Glam  caught  him  attempting  to  steal 
a sheep,  and  fought  with  him,  and  was  killed,  and 
that  in  like  manner  Thorgaut  was  killed.  Then  when 
people  saw  a great  wild  man  wandering  (about  they 
thought  it  was  Glam,  whereas  it  was  the  man  who 
had  haunted  the  region  before  Glam  came  there,  and 
had  killed  Glam.  This  is  the  simplest  and  easiest 
explanation  of  this  wild  and  fearful  tale. 


HOW  GRETTIR  SAILED  TO  NORWAY.  113 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

HOW  GEETTIE  SAILED  TO  NOEWAY. 

Eaely  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1015,  news  reached 
Iceland  of  a change  of  rulers  in  Norway.  Olaf 
Harald’s  son,  commonly  known  as  Olaf  the  Saint, 
had  come  to  be. King  of  Norway ; Earl  Sweyn  had 
been  defeated  in  battle  and  driven  out  of  the  country. 
Now  Grettir  was  remotely  connected  with  the  king, 
that  is  to  say,  his  father’s  grandfather  was  brother 
to  the  grandfather  of  Asta,  Olaf’s  mother.  The 
cousinship  was  somewhat  distant ; but  in  those  days 
folk  held  to  their  kin  more  than  they  do  now. 
Grettir  thought  that  a good  chance  had  opened  to 
him  for  doing  well  in  Norway,  so  he  resolved  to  leave 
Iceland,  and  enter  the  service  of  his  relative,  the 
king.  There  was  a ship  bound  for  Norway  lying  in 
Eyjafiord,  and  Grettir  engaged  a berth  in  her,  and 
made  ready  for  the  voyage. 

Now  his  father  Asmund  was  very  old  and  feeble, 
and  was  well-nigh  bedridden.  He  had  given  over 
the  entire  management  of  the  farm  to  his  eldest  son 
Atli,  and  to  young  Illugi,  who  was  a few  years 
younger  than  Grettir.  Atli  was  everywhere  liked, 
he  was  such  a prudent,  peaceable,  and  kindly  man. 

Grettir’s  ill-luck  still  followed  him ; for,  as  it 

8 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


1 14 

chanced,  Thorbiorn,  the  Slowcoach,  the  relation  of 
Thorbiorn  Oxmain,  had  resolved  to  go  to  Norway 
also,  and  in  the  same  ship.  Now  the  Slowcoach  may 
have  been  overslow  in  his  movements,  but  he  was 
overnimble  with  his  tongue,  and  he  was  strongly 
advised  either  not  to  go  in  the  same  boat  with  Gret- 
tir,  or,  if  he  did,  to  mind  his  words. 

Such  advice  was  thrown  away  on  the  Slowcoach, 
who,  instead  of  practising  caution,  in  order  to  show 
himself  off,  began  to  brag  of  his  strength,  and  to  say 
scurvy  things  of  Grettir,  which  were  duly  reported 
by  tale-bearers  to  Grettir.  Consequently,  when 
Grettir  arrived  in  the  Eyjafiord  with  his  goods,  he 
was  not  very  amiably  disposed  towards  the  Slow- 
coach. However  Atli  had  impressed  on  him  the 
necessity  of  controlling  himself,  and  Grettir  was 
resolved  not  to  quarrel  with  the  man  unless  he  could 
not  help  it. 

At  the  side  of  the  shore,  those  Avho  were  about  to 
sail  had  run  up  booths  and  cabins  for  themselves 
and  their  stores.  Many  of  those  going  in  the  boat 
were  chapmen,  and  they  took  with  them  goods  with 
which  to  traffic  in  Norway. 

Just  as  the  vessel  was  ready,  and  about  to  sail 
next  day,  Slowcoach  arrived,  slow  as  usual,  and  after 
every  one  else  was  ready,  and  their  goods  on  board. 
As  it  was  the  last  evening  on  shore,  all  the  merchants 
and  seamen  were  sitting  about  their  booths,  when 
Thorbiorn  Slowcoach  arrived,  and  rode  along  the 
lane  between  the  wooden  cabins.  The  men  shouted 
to  him  to  know  if  he  had  any  news  to  tell  them. 


HOW  GRETTIR  SAILED  TO  NORWAY.  Il5 

Thorbiorn’s  eye  caught  that  of  Grettir,  who  was 
sitting  on  a bench,  and  he  answered,  “ I don’t  hear 
any  news,  except  that  the  old  idiot  Asmund  of  Biarg 
is  dead.” 

This  was  not  true  ; the  old  man  was  not  dead,  but 
very  ill.  Some  of  those  who  heard  him  said,  “ That 
is  sad  news  indeed,  fqr  he  was  a worthy  and  honor- 
able old  man,  and  he  could  ill  be  spared.” 

“ I don’t  know  that,”  said  Thorbiorn  with  a scorn- 
ful laugh. 

“ But  how  did  he  die  ? What  did  he  die  of  ? ” 

“ Die  of  ? ” repeated  the  Slowcoach  loud  enough 
to  be  heard  by  Grettir.  “ Smothered  like  a dog  in 
the  poky  little  kennel  they  call  their  hall  at  Biarg. 
As  for  any  loss  in  him,  it  is  news  to  me  that  the 
world  is  not  well  rid  of  dotards.” 

“ These  are  ill  words,”  said  those  who  heard  him. 
“No  good  man  will  speak  slightingly  of  old  and 
blameless  chiefs.  Besides,  such  words  as  these 
Grettir  will  not  endure.” 

“ Grettir  ! ” scoffed  Thorbiorn.  “ Before  I face 
him  I must  see  him  use  his  weapons  better  than  he 
did  last  summer,  when  engaged  with  Kormak.  Then 
I put  my  elbow  between  them,  and  Grettir  was  but 
too  ready  to  accept  the  interference.  I never  saw 
a man  before  so  shake  in  his  shoes.” 

Thereat  Grettir  stood  up,  and  controlling  himself, 
said,  “ If  I have  any  faculty  of  foresight,  Slowcoach, 
I see  that  you  will  not  be  smothered  with  smoke  like 
a dog.  You  should  have  done  other  than  speak  foul 
words  of  very  aged  men.  Gray  hairs  deserve  respect.” 


Il6  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

“ I don’t  think  more  of  your  foresight  than  I do 
of  the  wisdom  of  your  old  fool  of  a father,”  said 
•Thorbiorn. 

The  end  was  that  they  fought.  The  insult  was 
too  gross  to  be  endured,  and  Grettir  felt  it  incum- 
bent on  him  to  strike  for  his  father’s  honor.  The 
fight  did  not  last  long  ; the  Slowcoach  was  slow  in 
his  fighting,  slow  of  hand,  only  not  slow  of  tongue, 
and  Grettir’s  sharp  sword  wounded  him  to  death. 

Slowcoach  was  buried  in  the  nearest  churchyard ; 
and  the  chapmen  gave  Grettir  credit  for  having 
restrained  himself  as  long  as  possible,  and  allowed 
that,  according  to  the  ideas  of  the  time,  he  was  justi- 
fied in  fighting  and  killing  the  Slowcoach  for  his 
spiteful  and  strife-provoking  words.  But  Grettir 
was  not  pleased,  he  regretted  the  contest,  because 
he  knew  that  it  left  occasion  of  strife  behind,  which 
might  occasion  Atli  trouble.  Thorbiorn  Oxmain 
would,  he  feared,  be  sure  to  take  up  the  quarrel,  and 
then  Atli  would  have  to  pay  a heavy  fine  in  silver 
to  atone  for  the  death. 

The  vessel  set  sail,  and  reached  the  south  of  Nor- 
way. There  Grettir  took  ship  in  a trading  keel,  to 
go  north  to  Drontheim,  because  he  heard  that  the 
king  was  there,  and  his  heart  beat  high  with  hopes 
that  Olaf  would  acknowledge  him  as  a cousin,  and 
would  take  him  into  his  body-guard,  and  treat  him 
with  honor  ; and  that  so,  though  he  had  had  ill-luck 
in  Iceland,  good  luck  might  attend  him  in  Norway. 


THE  HOSTEL  BURNING. 


II 7 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  HOSTEL  BURNING. 

Thebe  lived  a man  named  Thorir  at  Garth  in 
Iceland  who  had  spent  the  summer  in  Norway  when 
Olaf  returned  from  England,  and  he  had  stood  in 
great  favor  with  the  king.  He  had  two  sons,  and 
at  this  time  both  were  well-grown  men. 

Thorir  left  Norway  for  Iceland,  where  he  broke  up 
his  ship,  not  intending  again  to  go  a seafaring. 
But  when  he  heard  the  tidings  that  Olaf  was  king 
over  the  whole  of  Norway,  then  he  deemed  it  would 
be  well  for  his  sons  to  go  there  and  pay  their  respects 
to  the  king,  and  remind  him  of  his  old  friendship 
for  their  father. 

On  reaching  Norway  much  about  the  same  time 
as  had  Grettir,  they  took  a long  rowing-boat,  and 
skirted  the  coast  on  their  way  north  to  Drontheim. 
They  preceded  Grettir  by  a few  days.  On  reaching 
a fine  fiord,  in  which  there  was  shelter  from  the  gales 
that  began  to  bluster  violently  with  the  approach  of 
Avinter,  the  sons  of  Thorir  ran  in  their  boat,  and  as 
there  was  a large  Avooden  hostelry  there  built  for 
the  shelter  of  weather-bound  travelers,  they  took 
refuge  in  it,  and  spent  their  days  in  hunting  and 
their  nights  in  revelry. 


Il8  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

Now  it  so  fell  out  that  Grettir’s  merchant  ship 
came  into  this  same  fiord  one  evening  and  ran 
aground  on  the  opposite  shore  to  that  on  which  was 
the  hostel.  The  night  Avas  bitterly  cold  ; storms  of 
snoAv  drove  over  the  country,  whitening  the  moun- 
tains. The  men  from  the  ship  were  Avorn  out  and 
numbed  with  cold,  and  they  had  no  means  of  kin- 
dling a fire.  Then,  all  at  once,  they  saAV  a light  spring 
up  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  firth,  tAvinlding  cheer- 
fully betAveen  the  trees.  This  was  a sight  to  make 
them  more  eager  for  a fire,  and  they  began  to  Avish 
that  some  one  of  their  number  Avould  sAvim  across 
and  bring  over  a light. 

“ In  the  good  old  times  there  must  have  been  men 
who  would  have  thought  nothing  of  swimming 
across  the  streak  of  Avater  at  night,”  said  Grettir. 

“No  comfort  to  us  to  knoAV  that,”  said  one  of  the 
creAV.  “ It  does  not  concern  us  Avhat  may  haAre  been 
in  the  past,  Ave  are  shivering  in  the  present.  Why 
do  you  not  get  us  fire  ? ” 

Grettir  hesitated.  The  night  Avas  very  like  that 
on  Avhich  he  had  fought  Avith  Glam  : the  same  full 
moon,  Avith  snoAv-laden  clouds  rolling  over  its  face 
for  a Avhile  obscuring  it,  and  then  the  full  glare 
falling  over  the  face  of  earth  again  ; and,  unac- 
countably, a sense  of  doubt  and  depression  had  come 
over  him,  as  though  that  evil  adversary  AArere  noAV 
about  to  revenge  his  downfall  upon  him.  He  looked 
round  suddenly,  for  he  thought  that  the  fearful  eyes 
Avere  staring  at  him  from  out  of  the  black  shadoAvs 
of  the  fir-wood. 


THE  HOSTEL  BURNING. 


119 

The  rest  of  the  crew  united  in  urging  him,  and  at 
length,  reluctantly,  Grettir  yielded.  He  flung  his 
clothes  off,  and  prepared  himself  to  swim.  He  had 
on  him  a fur  cape,  and  a pair  of  wadmal  breeches. 
He  took  up  an  iron  pot,  and  jumped  into  the  sea 
and  swam  safely  across. 

On  reaching  the  further  shore,  he  shook  the  water 
off  him,  but  before  long  his  trousers  froze  like  boards, 
and  the  water  formed  in  icicles  about  the  cape. 
Grettir  ascended  through  the  pine-wood  towards 
the  light,  and  on  reaching  the  hostel  from  which  it 
proceeded,  walked  in  without  speaking  to  any  one, 
and  striding  up  to  the  fire,  stooped  and  began  to 
scrape  the  red-hot  embers  into  his  iron  pot.  The 
hall  was  full  of  revelers,  and  these  revelers  were 
the  sons  of  Thorir  and  their  boat’s  crew.  They  were 
already  more  than  half  intoxicated,  and  when  they 
saw  a wild-looking  man  enter  the  hall,  half  naked 
and  hung  with  icicles,  they  thought  he  must  be  a 
troll  or  mountain-spirit. 

At  once  every  one  caught  up  the  first  weapon  to 
hand,  and  rushed  to  the  attack.  Grettir  defended 
himself  with  a firebrand  plucked  from  the  hearth ; 
the  sons  of  Thorir  stumbled  over  the  fire,  and  the 
embers  were  strewn  about  over  the  floor  that  was 
covered  with  fresh  straw. 

In  a few  moments  the  hall  was  filled  with  flame 
and  smoke,  and  Grettir  took  advantage  of  the  con- 
fusion to  effect  his  escape.  He  ran  down  to  the 
shore,  plunged  into  the  sea  and  swam  across. 

He  found  his  companions  waiting  for  him  behind 


120 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


a rock,  with  a pile  of  dry  wood  which  they  had 
collected  during  his  absence.  The  cinders  were 
blown  upon,  and  twigs  applied,  till  a blaze  was 
produced,  and  before  long  the  whole  party  sat 
rubbing  their  almost  frozen  hands  over  a cheerful 
fire. 

ISText  morning  the  merchants  recognized  the  fiord, 
and,  remembering  that  a hostel  stood  on  the  further 
side,  they  crossed  the  water  to  see  it,  when — what 
was  their  dismay  to  find  of  it  only  a heap  of  smok- 
ing embers ! From  under  some  of  the  charred  timber 
were  thrust  scorched  human  limbs.  The  chapmen, 
in  alarm  and  horror,  turned  upon  G-rettir  and 
charged  him  with  having  maliciously  burned  the 
house  with  all  its  inmates. 

“ See,  now,”  said  Grettir,  “ I had  a thought  that 
this  expedition  would  not  bring  luck.  I would  I 
had  not  taken  the  trouble  to  get  fire  for  such  a set 
of  thankless  churls.” 

The  ship’s  crew  raked  out  the  embers,  pulled  aside 
the  smoking  rafters,  in  their  search  for  the  bodies. 
Some  of  these  were  not  so  disfigured  but  that  they 
could  recognize  them.  Moreover,  they  knew  the  ship 
that  lay  at  anchor  under  the  lee,  hard  by,  and  they 
saw  that  G-rettir  had  brought  the  sons  of  Thorir  to 
an  untimely  end.  The  indignation  of  the  merchants 
became  so  vehement,  and  their  fears  so  great  that 
they  might  be  implicated  in  the  matter,  that  they 
drove  Grettir  from  their  company,  and  refused  to  re- 
ceive him  into  their  vessel  for  the  remainder  of  their 
voyage.  Grettir,  in  sullen  wrath,  would  say  no 


THE  HOSTEL  BURNING.  12 1 

word  of  self-defense ; he  had  to  make  his  way  on 
foot  to  Drontheim,  where  he  resolved  to  lay  the 
whole  matter  before  the  king. 

The  vessel  reached  Drontheim  before  him,  and 
the  news  of  the  hostel  burning  roused  universal  in- 
dignation against  Grettir. 


122 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTEK  XYIII. 

THE  ORDEAL  BY  EIRE. 

One  day,  as  King  Olaf  sat  in  audience  in  his  great 
hall,  Grettir  strode  in,  and  going  before  his  seat, 
greeted  the  king.  Olaf  looked  at  him  and  said : 

“ Are  you  Grettir  the  Strong  ? ” 

He  answered : “ That  is  my  name,  and  I have 
come  hither,  kinsman,  to  get  a fair  hearing,  and  to 
clear  myself  of  the  charge  of  having  burned  men 
maliciously.  Of  that  I am  guiltless.” 

King  Olaf  replied  : “ I heartily  trust  that  what 
you  say  is  true,  and  that  you  will  be  able  to  rid  your- 
self of  a charge  so  bad.” 

Grettir  replied  that  he  was  ready  to  do  whatsoever 
the  king  desired  in  order  to  prove  his  innocence. 

Then  said  the  king  to  him,  “ Tell  me  the  whole 
story,  that  I may  be  able  to  judge.” 

Grettir  answered  by  relating  the  circumstances. 
He  had  simply  taken  fire  from  the  hearth,  when  he 
was  fallen  upon  by  those  who  were  drinking,  and 
who  were  to  tipsy  too  understand  his  explanation. 
He  went  away  with  the  red-hot  embers,  and  did  not 
set  fire  to  anything,  but  the  drunken  men  kicked  the 
glowing  coals  about  amidst  the  straw. 


THE  ORDEAL  BY  FIRE. 


123 


The  king  remained  silent  some  moments,  and  then 
he  said : “ There  are  no  witnesses  either  on  your 
behalf  or  against  you.  No  man  was  by  who  is  not 
dead.  God  and  his  angels  alone  know  whether  you 
speak  the  truth  or  not,  therefore  I must  refer  you  to 
the  judgment  of  God.” 

“ What  must  I do  ? ” asked  Grettir. 

“ You  will  have  to  go  through  the  ordeal  of  fire,” 
said  the  king. 

“ What  is  that  ? ” asked  the  young  man. 

“ You  must  lift  bars  of  red-hot  iron,  and  walk 
with  bare  feet  on  plowshares  heated  red  in  a 
furnace.” 

“ And  what  if  I am  burnt  ? ” 

“ Then  will  you  be  adjudged  guilty.” 

Grettir  shrugged  his  shoulders : “ If  it  must  be 
so,  let  it  be  at  once ; but  whether  I burn  or  not, 
I declare  that  I am  clear  of  all  intent  to  hurt  those 
men.” 

“ You  cannot  undergo  the  ordeal  now,”  said  the 
king.  “ You  would  be  burned  to  a certainty.  You 
must  go  through  preparation  first.” 

“ What  preparation  ? ” 

“ A week  of  fasting  and  prayer,”  was  the  reply. 

Then  Grettir  was  taken  away  and  put  in  ward, 
and  fed  with  bread  and  water  for  a week,  and  the 
bishop  visited  him  and  taught  him  to  pray  that  if 
he  were  innocent,  God  would  reveal  his  innocence 
by  enabling  him  to  pass  unscathed  through  the 
ordeal. 

The  day  came,  and  Drontheim  was  thronged  with 


124 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


people  from  all  the  country  round,  to  see  the  Ice- 
lander of  whom  such  tales  were  told.  A procession 
was  formed;  first  went  the  king’s  body-guard 
followed  by  the  king  himself,  wearing  his  crown, 
then  came  the  bishop,  the  choir,  and  the  clergy,  and 
last  of  all  Grettir,  his  wild  red  hair  flying  loose  in 
the  breeze,  his  arms  folded,  and  his  eyes  wandering 
over  the  sea  of  heads  that  filled  the  square  before 
the  cathedral  doors.  The  crowd  pressed  in  closer 
and  closer.  Opinions  differed  as  to  whether  he 
were  guilty  or  not.  Among  the  mob  was  a young 
man  of  dark  complexion,  who  made  a great  noise, 
shouldering  his  way  to  the  front,  and  shouting. 

“ Look  at  the  fellow ! ” he  exclaimed.  “ This  is 
the  man  who,  in  cold  blood,  burnt  down  a house 
over  helpless  men,  and  now  he  is  to  be  given  a chance 
of  escape.” 

“ But  he  says  he  is  guiltless,”  argued  one  in  the 
crowd. 

“ Guiltless ! ” exclaimed  the  youth.  “ If  one  of  us 
had  done  the  deed,  should  we  have  been  trifled 
with  ? The  king  wants  him  for  his  body-guard,  be- 
cause he  is  so  strong.” 

“He  should  be  given  a chance  of  clearing  him- 
self,” said  one  who  stood  near. 

“ Yes — of  course — because  he  is  a kinsman  of  the 
king.  So  the  irons  have  been  painted  red,  to  look 
as  if  hot.  I know  how  the  trick  is  done.  . But  he 
shall  not  escape  me.” 

Thereupon  the  young  man  sprang  at  Grettir  and 
drove  his  nails  into  his  face  so  that  they  drew  blood  \ 


THE  ORDEAL  BY  FIRE.  125 

at  the  same  time  he  poured  forth  against  him  a 
stream  of  insulting  names. 

This  was  more  than  the  Icelander  could  bear ; he 
caught  the  young  man,  as  a cat  catches  a mouse, 
held  him  aloft,  shook  him,  and  then  threw  him 
away,  when  he  fell  on  the  ground  and  was  stunned. 
It  was  feared  he  might  be  killed.  This  act  gave 
occasion  to  a general  uproar ; the  mob  wanted  to 
lay  hands  on  Grettir ; some  threw  stones,  others 
assaulted  him  with  sticks ; but  he,  planting  his 
back  against  the  church  wall,  turned  up  his  sleeves, 
guarded  off  the  blows,  shouting  to  his  assailants  to 
come  on.  Not  a man  came  within  his  reach  but 
was  sent  reeling  back  or  was  felled  to  the  ground. 
In  the  meantime  the  king  and  the  bishop  were  in 
the  choir  waiting.  The  red-hot  plowshares  which 
had  been  laid  on  the  pavement  were  gradually  cool- 
ing, but  no  Grettir  appeared. 

At  last  the  sounds  of  the  uproar  reached  the 
king’s  ear,  and  he  sent  out  to  know  the  occasion. 
His  messenger  returned  a moment  after  to  report 
that  the  Icelander  was  fighting  the  whole  town  and 
had  knocked  down  and  well-nigh  killed  several  per- 
sons. The  king  thereupon  sprang  from  his  throne, 
-hastened  down  the  nave,  and  came  out  of  the  great 
western  door  when  the  conflict  was  at  its  height. 

“ Oh,  sire,”  exclaimed  Grettir,  “ see  how  I can 
fight  the  rascals ! ” and  at  the  word  he  knocked  a 
man  over  at  the  king’s  feet. 

With  difficulty  the  tumult  was  arrested,  and 
Grettir  separated  from  the  combatants;  and  then 


126 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


lie  wanted  to  go  with  the  king  and  try  the  ordeal 
of  fire. 

“ Not  so,”  answered  Olaf,  “ you  have  already  in- 
curred sin.  It  is  possible  that  some  of  those  you 
have  knocked  down  may  never  recover,  so  that  their 
blood  will  lie  at  your  door.” 

“ What  is  to  be  done  ? ” asked  G-rettir. 

The  king  considered. 

“ I see  you  are  a very  wTicked  or  at  all  events  a 
very  unlucky  man.  When  you  were  here  before 
you  were  the  occasion  of  several  deaths.  I do  not 
desire  to  keep  you  in  Norway,  but  as  winter  has  set 
in  you  may  tarry  here  till  next  spring,  and  then 
you  shall  be  outlawed  and  return  to  Iceland.” 


THE  WINTER  IN  NORWAY. 


127 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  WINTER  IN  NORWAY. 

Kino  Olaf  had  decided  that  Grettir  must  leave 
Norway  and  return  to  Iceland.  If  he  was  not  a 
guilty  man  he  was  a most  unfortunate  one.  Now, 
the  Norse  race,  whether  in  Denmark,  Norway, 
Sweden,  or  Iceland,  believed  in  luck.  They  said 
that  certain  men  were  born  to  ill-luck,  and  such  men 
they  avoided,  because  they  feared  lest  the  ill-luck 
that  clung  to  them  might  attach  itself  to,  and  involve 
those  who  came  in  contact  with  them. 

It  was  not  possible  for  Grettir  to  return  that  year 
to  Iceland,  for  all  the  ships  bound  for  his  native 
land  had  sailed  before  winter  set  in,  so  King  Olaf 
agreed  to  allow  him  to  remain  in  the  kingdom 
through  the  winter,  but  bound  him  to  depart  on  the 
first  opportunity  next  year. 

Somewhat  sad  at  heart  with  disappointment,  and 
with  the  impression  that  perhaps  Olaf  the  king  was 
right,  and  that  ill-luck  really  did  weigh  on  him, 
Grettir  left  the  court,  and  went  at  Yule  to  the  house 
of  a bonder  or  yeoman  called  Einar,  and  remained 
with  him  awhile.  The  farm  was  in  a lonely  place 
in  a fiord  opening  back  to  the  snowy  mountains. 


128 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


Einar  was  a kindly  man,  hospitable,  and  he  did  his 
best  to  make  Grettir’s  stay  with  him  pleasant.  He 
had  a daughter,  a fair,  beautiful  girl,  with  blue  eyes, 
and  hair  like  amber  silk,  and  her  name  was  Gyrid. 
Perhaps  the  beautiful  Gyrid  was  one  attraction  to 
Grettir,  but  if  so  he  never  spoke  what  was  on  his 
heart,  because  he  knew  it  would  be  useless.  He  was 
an  unlucky  man ; he  had  - made  himself  a name,  in- 
deed, as  one  of  great  daring,  hut  he  had  won  for 
himself  neither  home,  nor  riches,  nor  favor. 

Now  it  fell  out  that  at  this  time  there  were  some 
savage  ruffians  in  the  country  who  were  called  Bear- 
sarks.  They  were  outlaws  in  most  cases,  and  they 
lived  in  secret  dens  in  the  dense  forests,  whence  they 
issued  and  swooped  down  on  the  farms,  and  there 
challenged  the  bonders  to  fight  with  them,  or  to 
give  up  to  them  whatever  they  needed.  These 
ruffians  wore  bear-skins  drawn  over  their  bodies, 
and  they  thrust  their  heads  though  the  jaws  of  the 
beasts,  so  that  they  presented  a hideous  and  fright- 
enihg  appearance.  Then  they  worked  themselves 
into  paroxysms  of  rage,  when  they  were  like  mad- 
men ; they  rolled  their  eyes,  they  roared  and  howled 
liked  wild  beasts,  and  foam  formed  on  their  mouths 
and  dropped  on  the  ground.  They  were  wont  also, 
when  these  fits  came  on  them,  to  bite  the  edges  of 
their  shields,  and  with  their  fangs  they  were  known 
to  have  dinted  the  metal  quite  deep.  Some  folks 
even  said  they  had  bitten  pieces  out  of  solid  shields. 
It  was  usually  supposed  that  these  Bearsarks  were 
posessed  by  evil  spirits,  and  it  is  probable  that  in 


THE  WINTER  IN  NORWAY. 


129 


many  cases  they  were  really  mad — mad  through 
having  given  way  to  their  violent  passions,  till  they 
knew  no  law,  and  thought  to  carry  everything 
before  them  by  their  violence.  It  was  even  at  one 
time  thought  by  the  superstitious  that  they  could 
change  their  shapes,  and  run  about  at  will  in  the 
forms  of  bears  or  wolves ; but  this  idea  grew  out  of 
the  fact  of  their  clothing  themselves  in  bear  or  wolf 
skins,  and  drawing  the  skull  of  the  beast  over  their 
heads  as  a rude  helmet,  and  looking  out  through  the 
open  jaws  that  thus  formed  a visor. 

One  day,  just  after  Yule,  to  the  terror  and  dismay 
of  Einar,  one  of  the  most  redoubtable  of  these-Bear- 
sarks,  a fellow  called  Snoekoll,  came  thundering  up 
to  his  door  on  a huge  black  horse,  followed  by  three 
or  four  others  on  foot,  all  clothed  in  skins ; but 
Snoekoll,  instead  of  wearing  the  bear’s  skin  over 
his  head,  had  on  a helmet  with  great  tusks  of  a 
boar  protruding  from  it,  and  a boar’s  head  drawn 
over  the  metal. 

It  is  worth  remark  that  the  crests  worn  later  by 
knights,  and  which  we  have  still  on  our  plate  and 
on  harness,  are  derived  from  similar  adornments  to 
helmets.  Some  warriors  put  wings  of  eagles  on 
their  head-pieces,  others  put  the  paws  of  bears  or 
representations  of  lions.  These  were  badges  of 
their  prowess,  or  marks  whereby  they  might  be 
known. 

Snoekoll  struck  the  door  of  the  farmhouse  with 
his  spear,  and  roared  to  the  owner  to  come  forth. 
At  once  Einar  and  Grettir  issued  from  the  hall,  and 

9 


i3o 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


Einar  in  great  trepidation  asked  the  Bearsark  what 
he  wanted. 

“ What  do  I want  ? ” shouted  Snoekoll.  “ I want 
one  of  two  things.  Either  that  you  give  me  up  your 
beautiful  daughter  to  be  my  wife,  and  with  her  five- 
score  bags  of  silver,  or  else  that  you  fight  me  here. 
If  you  kill  me,  then  luck  is  yours.  If  I kill  you,  then  I 
shall  carry  off  your  daughter  and  all  that  you  possses.” 
Einar  turned  to  Grettir  and  asked  him  in  a whis- 
per what  he  was  to  do.  He  himself  was  an  old  man 
whose  fighting  days  were  over,  and  he  had  no 
chance  against  this  savage. 

Grettir  answered  that  he  had  better  consult  his 
honor  and  the  happiness  of  Gyrid,  and  not  give 
way  to  a bully.  The  Bearsark  sat  on  his  horse 
rolling  his  eyes  from  one  to  another.  He  had  a 
great  iron-rimmed  shield  before  him. 

Then  he  bellowed  forth : “ Come ! I am  not  going 
to  wait  here  whilst  you  consider  matters.  Make 
your  selection  of  the  two  alternatives  at  once. 
What  is  that  great  lout  at  your  side  whispering? 
Does  he  want  to  play  a little  game  of  who  is  master 
along  with  me  ? ” 

“ For  my  part,”  said  Grettir,  “ the  farmer  and  I 
are  about  in  equal  predicament ; he  is  too  old  to 
fight,  and  I am  unskilled  in  arms.” 

“ I see  ! I see ! ” roared  Snoekoll.  “ You  are  both 
trembling  in  your  shoes.  Wait  till  my  fit  is  on  me, 
and  then  you  will  shake  indeed.” 

“ Let  us  see  how  you  look  in  your  Bearsark  fit,” 
said  Grettir. 


THE  WINTER  IN  NORWAY.  131 

Then  Snoekoll  waxed  wroth,  and  worked  himself 
up  into  one  of  the  fits  of  madness.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  in  some  cases  this  was  all  bluster  and 
sham.  But  in  many  cases  these  fellows  really  roused 
themselves  into  perfect  frenzies  of  madness  in  which 
they  did  not  know  what  they  did. 

Now  Snoekoll  began  to  bellow  like  a bull,  and  to 
roll  his  eyes,  and  he  put  the  edge  of  the  great  shield 
in  his  mouth  and  bit  at  it,  and  blew  foam  from  his 
lips  that  rolled  down  the  face  of  the  shield.  Grettir 
fixed  his  eyes  steadily  on  him,  and  put  his  hands 
into  his  pockets.  Snoekoll  rocked  himself  on  his 
horse,  and  his  companions  began  also  to  bellow',  and 
stir  themselves  up  into  madness.  Grettir,  with  his 
eye  fixed  steadily  on  the  ruffian,  drew  little  by  little 
nearer  to  him  ; but  as  he  had  no  weapon,  and  held 
his  hands  confined,  Snoekoll,  if  he  did  observe  him, 
disregarded  him.  When  Grettir  stood  close  beside 
him  and  looked  up  at  the  red  glaring  eyes,  the  foam- 
ing lips  of  Snoekoll,  and  heard  his  howls  and  the 
crunching  of  his  great  teeth  against  the  strong  oak 
and  iron  of  the  shield,  he  suddenly  laughed,  lifted 
his  foot,  caught  the  bottom  of  the  shield  a sudden 
kick  upwards,  and  the  shield  with  the  violence  of 
the  upward  shock  broke  Snoekoll’s  jaw.  Instantly 
the  Bearsark  stopped  his  bellows,  let  fall  the  shield, 
and  before  he  could  draw  his  sword  Grettir  caught 
his  helmet  by  the  great  boar  tusks,  gave  them  a 
twist,  and  rolled  Snoekoll  down  off  his  horse  on  the 
ground,  knelt  on  him,  and  with  the  ruffian’s  own 
sword  dealt  him  his  death-blow. 


132 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


When  the  others  saw  the  fall  of  their  chief  they 
ceased  their  antics,  turned  and  ran  away  to  hide  in 
the  woods. 

The  bonder,  Einar,  thanked  Grettir  for  his  assist- 
ance, and  the  lovely  Gy  rid  gave  him  also  her 
grateful  acknowledgments  and  a sweet  smile ; but 
Grettir  knew  that  a portionless  unlucky  man  like 
himself  could  not  aspire  to  her  hand,  and  feeling 
that  he  was  daily  becoming  more  attached  to  her, 
he  deemed  it  right  at  once  to  leave,  and  he  went 
away  to  a place  called  Tunsberg,  where  lived  his 
half-brother,  Thorstein  Dromund. 

Now,  to  understand  the  relationship  of  Dromund 
to  Grettir,  you  must  know  that  his  father,  Asmund, 
had  been  twice  married.  He  had  been  in  Norway 
when  a young  man,  with  a merchant  ship,  and  he 
had  also  gone  with  his  wares  to  England  and 
France,  and  had  gained  great  wealth ; and  as  he 
had  many  relations  in  Norway  he  was  well  received 
there  in  winter,  when  he  came  back  from  his  mer- 
chant trips.  On  one  of  these  occasions  he  had  met 
a damsel  called  Ranveig,  whose  father  and  mother 
were  dead.  She  was  of  good  birth,  and  was  wealthy. 
Asmund  asked  for  her  hand  and  married  her,  and 
settled  on  the  lands  that  belonged  to  her  in  Norway. 
They  had  a son  called  Thorstein,  who,  because  he 
was  rather  slow  of  speech  and  manner,  was  nick- 
named Dromund  ; but  as  we  meet  with  other  Thor- 
steins  in  this  story,  to  prevent  confusion  we  will 
speak  of  him  as  Dromund. 

After  a while  Asmund’s  wife  Ranveig  died,  and 


THE  WINTER  IN  NORWAY. 


133 


then  her  relatives  insisted  on  taking  away  all  her 
lands  and  possessions  and  keeping  them  in  trust  for 
little  Dromund.  Asmund  did  not  care  to  quarrel 
with  them,  so  he  left  Dromund  with  his  late  wife’s 
relatives  and  went  home  to  Iceland,  where,  after  a 
few  years,  he  married  Asdis,  and  by  her  became  the 
father  of  Atli,  Grettir,  and  Illugi,  and  of  two 
daughters,  one  of  whom  he  named  after  his  first 
wife. 

Dromund  grew  up  in  Norway  on  his  estates  at 
Tunsberg,  and  became  a man  of  wealth  and  renown, 
a quiet  man,  but  one  who  held  his  own,  and  was 
generally  respected. 

Now  Grettir  went  to  him,  and  his  half-brother 
received  him  very  affectionately,  and  insisted  on 
his  remaining  with  him  all  the  rest  of  the  winter 
till  it  wus  time  for  him  to  sail  to  Iceland. 

One  little  incident  is  mentioned  concerning  that 
time  that  deserves  to  be  recorded. 

Grettir  slept  in  the  same  apartment  as  did  his 
brother. 

One  morning  Dromund  awoke  early,  and  he  saw 
how  that  Grettir’s  arms  were  out  of  bed,  and  he 
wondered  at  their  size. 

Presently  Grettir  awoke,  and  then  Dromund  said 
to  him  : “ Grettir,  I have  been  amused  with  looking 
at  your  bare  arms.  What  muscles  you  have  got ! 
I never  saw  the  like.” 

“I  need  strong  muscles  to  do  what  I have  to 
do.” 

“ True  enough,  brother,”  said  Dromund.  “ But  I 


134 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


could  wish  there  were  a little  more  luck  as  well  as 
muscle  attached  to  those  bones.” 

“ Let  me  look  at  your  arms,”  said  Grettir. 

Then  Dromund  put  his  arms  out  of  bed,  and 
when  he  saw  them  Grettir  burst  out  laughing,  for 
they  were  so  thin  and  scraggy. 

“ Upon  my  word,  brother,  I never  saw  such  a 
wretched  pair  of  tongs  in  my  life,”  he  said. 

“ They  may  be  a pair  of  tongs,  old  boy,”  answered 
Dromund,  “ but  they  are  tongs  that  shall  ever  be 
extended  to  help  you  when  in  need.  And,”  added 
Dromund  in  a lower  tone,  “ if  it  should  ever  befall 
you  that  your  ill-luck  should  overmaster  you,  and 
you  not  die  in  your  bed ; then,  Grettir,  I promise 
you,  if  I am  alive,  that  I shall  not  let  this  pair  of 
tongs  rest  till,  with  them,  I have  avenged  you.” 

No  more  is  related  of  their  talk  together.  The 
spring  wore  on,  and  in  summer  Grettir  took  ship. 

The  brothers  parted  with  much  affection,  and  they 
never  again  saw  each  other’s  face. 


OF  WHAT  BEFELL  AT  BIARG.  I35 


CHAPTER  XX. 

OF  WHAT  BEFELL  AT  BIARG. 

Whilst  Grettir  was  in  Norway,  that  ill-luck  which 
pursued  him  did  not  fail  to  touch  and  trouble  his 
Icelandic  home  as  well. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Grettir  had  been 
forced  to  fight  the  Slowcoach,  and  had  killed  him. 
Now  the  cousin  of  this  man  was  Thorbiorn  Oxmain, 
who  lived  in  the  Ramsfirth.  This  Thorbiorn  had 
got  a serving-man  named  Ali,  a somewhat  lazy  man, 
strong,  but  unruly.  As  he  did  his  work  badly,  and 
was  slow  about  it,  his  master  rebuked  him,  and  when 
rebukes  failed,  he  threatened  him.  Threats  also 
proved  unavailing,  so  Thorbiorn  one  day  took  the  stick 
to  his  back,  and  beat  him  till  he  danced.  After  this 
Ali  would  remain  no  longer  in  his  service ; he  ran 
away,  crossed  the  ridge  to  the  Midfiord,  and  came 
to  Biarg,  where  he  presented  himself  before  Atli, 
who  asked  him  what  he  wanted. 

The  fellow  said  that  he  was  in  quest  of  service. 

“ But,”  said  Atli,  “ you  are,  I understand,  one  of 
Thorbiorn’s  workmen.” 

“ I was  so,  but  I have  left  his  service  because  I 
was  badly  treated.  He  beat  me  till  I was  black  and 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


136 

blue ; no  one  can  remain  with  him,  he  is  so  rough 
with  his  men,  and  he  exacts  of  them  too  much  work. 
I have  come  here  because  I hear  that  you  treat  your 
servants  well.” 

Atli  replied.  “ I have  hands  enough,  you  had 
better  go  back  to  Thorbiorn,  for  I do  not  want  you.” 
“ I will  never  go  back  to  him,  that  I declare,” 
said  the  churl.  “ If  you  turn  me  away,  I have  no- 
where to  which  I can  go.” 

So  he  remained  for  a few  nights  at  Biarg ; and 
Atli  did  not  like  to  turn  him  out  of  the  house.  Then 
one  day  he  went  to  work  with  Atli’s  men,  and 
worked  hard  and  well,  for  he  was  a powerful  man. 
So  time  passed.  Atli  did  not  agree  to  pay  him  any 
wage,  and  he  did  not  send  him  away.  He  did  not 
feel  best  pleased  at  having  the  man  there,  but  he 
was  too  kind-hearted  to  drive  him  away. 

Hot  only  did  he  remain  there  and  work  well,  but 
he  showed  himself  ready  to  turn  his  hand  to  any- 
thing, and  was  the  most  useful  man  about  the  place. 

How  Thorbiorn  heard  that  his  churl  was  at  Biarg. 
The  death  of  Slowcoach  had  rankled  in  his  breast. 
He  had  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  take  up  the  case 
and  demand  recompense,  yet  he  had  not  done  so ; 
now  he  was  angered  that  Atli  had  opened  his  doors 
to  his  runaway  servant.  He  had  covenanted  with 
the  man  for  a year,  but  the  fellow  was  so  disagree- 
able that  he  would  have  gladly  dispensed  with  his 
service  ; but  that  Atli  should  have  received  him,  and 
that  the  man  should  be  making  himself  useful  at 
Biarg, — that  made  him  very  angry  indeed. 


OF  WHAT  BEFELL  AT  BIARG. 


137 


So  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  to  Biarg,  at- 
tended by  two  men,  and  called  out  Atli  to  talk  with 
him. 

Atli  came  forth  and  welcomed  him. 

Then  Thorbiorn  said : “You  are  determined  to 
pick  up  fresh  occasion  of  quarrel,  and  stir  ill-will 
between  us.  Why  have  you  enticed  away  my  ser- 
vant ? You  had  no  right  to  behave  thus  to  me.” 

Atli  replied  quietly  : “You  are  mistaken.  I did 
not  entice  him  away.  The  fellow  came  to  me.  I 
did  not  know  for  certain  that  he  was  your  servant, 
nor  did  I know  for  how  long  he  was  engaged  to  you. 
Show  me  that  I have  done  wrong  and  I will  make 
reparation.  If  he  is  yours,  reclaim  him,  I will  not 
keep  him.  At  the  same  time  I do  not  like  to  shut 
him  out  of  my  house.” 

“ I claim  the  man,”  said  Thorbiorn  ; “ I forbid  him 
to  do  a stroke  of  work  here.  I expect  him  returned 
to  me.” 

“ Nay,”  said  Atli,  “ take  the  man,  you  are  welcome 
to  him ; but  I cannot  bind  him  hand  and  foot  and 
convey  him  to  your  house.  If  you  can  get  him  to 
go  with  you,  well  and  good,  I will  not  detain  him.” 

Atli  had  answered  fairly,  but  this  did  not  satisfy 
Thorbiorn ; he  knew  that  he  could  not  drag  the  man 
back  to  his  farm,  nor  could  he  persuade  him  to  follow, 
so  he  rode  home  in  a mighty  bad  temper,  his  heart 
boiling  with  anger  against  Atli.  And  now  he 
thought  that  he  would  at  one  and  the  same  time 
punish  Atli  for  taking  away  his  servant,  and  wipe 
out  the  wrong  of  the  slaying  of  the  Slowcoach. 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


138 

In  the  evening  when  the  men  came  in  from  work, 
Atli  said  that  Thorbiorn  had  been  there  and  had  re- 
claimed his  churl,  and  Atli  bade  the  fellow  depart 
and  go  back  to  his  master. 

Then  the  man  said  : “ That’s  a true  proverb,  He 
who  is  most  praised  is  found  most  faulty  at  the  test. 
I came  to  you  because  I heard  so  much  good  of  you, 
and  now  that  I have  toiled  for  you  without  wages 
all  the  early  summer,  as  I have  worked  for  none 
else,  you  want  to  kick  me  out  of  doors  as  winter 
draws  on.  I will  not  go.  You  will  have  to  beat  me 
as  Thorbiorn  beat  me  to  make  me  leave  this  house, 
and  then,  even,  I am  not  sure  but  that  I shall  remain 
in  spite  of  being  beaten.” 

Atli  did  not  know  exactly  what  to  do.  He  did  not 
wish  to  ill-treat  the  fellow,  and  yet  without  ill-treat- 
ment there  was  no  getting  rid  of  him.  So  he  let  him 
remain  on. 

One  day  a warm  wet  rainy  mist  covered  the  land, 
the  hills  were  enveloped  in  cloud  ; Atli  sent  out  some 
of  his  men  to  mow  at  a distance  where  there  was 
some  grass,  and  others  he  sent  out  fishing.  He  re- 
mained at  home  himself  with  only  two  or  three  men. 

That  day  Thorbiorn  rode  over  the  ridge  that 
divided  the  dales,  with  a helmet  on  his  head,  a sAvord 
at  his  side,  and  a barbed  spear  in  his  hand.  He  came 
to  Biarg,  and  no  one  noticed  his  approach.  He  Avent 
to  the  main  door,  and  knocked  at  it.  Then  he  dreAV 
back  behind  the  buildings,  so  that  no  one  might  see 
him  from  the  door.  In  Iceland  the  walls  of  a house 
between  the  gables  are  buttressed  Avith  turf — thick 


OF  WHAT  BEFELL  AT  BIARG.  139 

walls  or  buttresses  that  project  several  feet,  and 
are  about  six  or  nine  feet  thick.  Such  buttresses 
stood  one  on  each  side  of  the  hall  door  at  Biarg, 
and  behind  one  of  these  Thorbiorn  concealed  him- 
self. 

When  he  had  knocked  at  the  door,  a woman  came 
to  it,  unbarred  and  looked  up  and  down  the  terrace 
or  platform  on  which  the  house  was  built,  but  saw 
no  one.  Thorbiorn  peeped  from  behind  the  wall  of 
turf  and  caught  a glimpse  of  her,  and  then  backed 
again  into  his  hiding-place.  The  woman  then  re- 
turned into  the  house,  and  told  Atli  that  there  was 
no  one  outside. 

She  had  hardly  spoken  before  Thorbiorn  knocked 
again.  Then  Atli  jumped  up  and  said  : “ There  must 
be  some  one  there,  and  I will  go  and  see  myself  who 
it  is.” 

Then  he  went  fortluand  looked  out  of  the  door, 
but  saw  no  one,  as  Thorbiorn  had  again  retreated 
behind  the  bank  of  turf.  The  water  was  streaming 
down,  so  Atli  did  not  go  from  under  cover,  but  laid 
a hand  on  each  of  the  door-posts,  and  looked  up  and 
down  the  valley. 

Just  as  he  was  looking  away  from  where  Thor- 
biorn was  concealed,  that  man  suddenly  swung  him- 
self round  the  bank  of  turf,  and  with  all  his  might 
drove  the  spear  against  Atli,  using  both  his  hands. 
The  spear  entered  him  below  the  ribs,  and  ran  right 
through  him.  Atli  uttered  no  cry,  and  fell  forward 
over  the  threshold.  At  that  the  women  rushed  forth, 
and  they  took  Atli  up,  but  he  was  dead. 


140 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


Then  Thorbiorn,  who  had  run  to  his  horse,  which 
was  tied  up  behind  the  house,  rode  out  on  the  ter- 
race, and  halting  before  the  door  proclaimed  that  he 
had  done  this  deed. 

Now  this  was  a formality  which  according  to 
Icelandic  law,  made  his  act  to  be  not  regarded  as  a 
murder.  A murder  by  law  was  the  slaying  of  a 
man  by  one  who  concealed  his  name. 

Then  Thorbiorn  rode  home. 

The  goodwife,  Asdis,  sent  for  her  men,  and  Atli’s 
body  was  laid  out,  and  he  was  buried  beside  his 
father,  old  Asmund,  who  had  died  during  the  winter. 
There  was  a church  in  those  daysatBiarg,  but  there 
is  none  there  now.  When  I was  there  I asked  of  the 
farmer  now  living  in  Biarg  where  was  the  old 
churchyard,  but  its  site  was  lost ; so  I could  not  tell 
where  were  the  graves  of  Atli  the  kind-hearted, 
honorable  man,  and  the  rest  of  the  family. 

Great  was  the  lamentation  through  the  district 
at  the  death  of  one  so  loved  and  respected,  and  hard 
things  were  said  of  Thorbiorn  for  what  he  had  done. 


THE  RETURN  OF  GRETTIR. 


141 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  EETUEN  OF  GEETTIE. 

That  same  summer  news  reached  Iceland  of  the 
burning  of  the  hostel  by  Grettir.  "When  Thorir 
of  Garth  heard  of  the  death  of  his  sons  he  was 
furious.  He  rode  to  the  great  annual  assize  at 
Thingvalla,  with  a large  retinue,  and  charged  Grettir 
with  having  killed  his  boys  maliciously  ; and  he  de- 
manded that  for  this  offence  Grettir  should  be  out- 
lawed. 

Then  Skapti  the  judge  said:  “If  things  are  as 
reported,  then  surely  Grettir  has  committed  an  evil 
deed  ; but  we  have  only  heard  one  side  of  the  story, 
and  we  only  know  of  what  has  happened  at  third 
hand,  by  report ; there  are  two  ways  of  telling  every 
story.  Let  us  wait  till  Grettir  returns  to  Iceland. 
There  will  be  time  enough  for  this  action  to  be 
taken.  I will  not  give  my  word  that  Grettir  is  guilty 
till  we  have  heard  what  he  has  to  say  for  himself.” 

But  Thorir  was  such  a powerful  chieftain  that  he 
overbore  all  resistance.  It  was  said  that  he  could 
not  lawfully  take  action  against  a man  in  his  ab- 
sence ; but  this  was  overridden  by  Thorir,  who  by 
packing  the  court  was  able  to  carry  out  what  he 


142 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


wanted.  Moreover,  owing  to  the  death  of  Atli  there 
was  no  one  to  oppose  him  vigorously. 

He  pushed  on  matters  so  hard  that  naught  could 
avail  to  acquit  Grettir,  and  he  was  proclaimed  an 
outlaw  throughout  the  whole  of  Iceland,  and  Thorir 
also  put  a price  on  his  head  of  many  ounces  of  silver 
which  he  said  he  would  pay  to  that  man  who  would 
kill  him  in  Norway  or  Iceland,  or  wherever  he  might 
find  him. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  summer  Grettir  arrived 
in  a vessel  off  the  mouth  of  the  White-river,  an  exile 
from  Norway. 

It  was  a still  summer  night  when  the  ship 
dropped  anchor.  A boat  came  from  the  shore,  and 
was  rowed  to  the  ship.  Grettir  stood  watching  it 
from  the  bows,  leaning  on  his  sword.  As  it  touched 
the  side  of  the  ship,  he  called,  “ What  news  do  you 
bring  % ” 

“ Are  you  Grettir,  Asmund’s  son  ? ” asked  a man 
rising  in  the  boat. 

“ I am,”  replied  Grettir. 

“ Then  we  bear  you  ill  news : your  father  is  dead.” 

Another  man  stood  up  in  the  boat,  and  said : 
“ Grettir,  he  was  an  old  man,  and  you  can  hardly 
have  expected  to  hear  that  he  was  still  alive.  But 
what  I have  to  say  concerns  you  as  closely,  and  is 
unexpected.  Your  brother  Atli  has  been  slain  by 
Thorbiorn  Oxmain.” 

Then  a third  man  rose  and  said : “ But  these  tid- 
ings concern  others  first  and  you  secondly.  What 
I have  to  say  concerns  you  mainly.  You  have  been' 


THE  RETURN  OF  GRETTIR.  143 

made  an  outlaw  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  land,  and  a price  is  set  on  your  head.” 

It  is  said  that  Grettir  did  not  change  color,  nor 
did  a muscle  in  his  whole  body  quiver ; but  he  lifted 
up  his  voice  and  sang  this  strain — 

“ All  at  once  are  showered 
Round  me,  the  Rhymer, 

Tidings  sad — my  exile, 

Father’s  loss  and  brother’s, 

Branching  boughs  of  battle  ! 

Many  a blue-blade-breaker 
Shall  suffer  for  my  sorrow.” 

The  branching  bough  of  battle  is  a periphrasis  for 
a man,  so  also  is  a blue-blade-breaker ; and  it  is  the 
use  of  such  periphrases  that  constituted  poetry  to 
Icelandic  ideas.  One  night  Grettir  swam  ashore. 
He  thought  that  his  enemies  would  be  awaiting  him, 
and  should  he  venture  to  land  in  a boat  would  fall 
on  him  in  overwhelming  numbers ; so  he  took  to  the 
water  and  swam  to  a point  at  some  distance.  Then 
he  took  a horse  that  he  found  in  a farm  near  where 
he  came  ashore,  and  he  rode  across  country  to  the 
Middle-firth,  and  reached  home  in  two  days.  He 
reached  Biarg  during  the  night  when  all  were  asleep ; 
so  instead  of  disturbing  the  household,  he  opened  a 
private  door,  stepped  into  the  hall,  stole  up  to  his 
mother’s  bed,  and  threw  his  arms  round  her  neck. 

She  started  up,  and  asked  who  was  there.  When 
he  told  her,  she  clasped  him  to  her  heart,  and  laid 
her  head,  sobbing,  on  his  breast,  saying : “ Oh,  my 
son  ! I am  bereaved  of  my  children  ! Atli,  my 


144  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

eldest,  has  been  foully  murdered,  and  you  are  out- 
lawed ; only  Illugi  remains.” 

Grettir  remained  at  home  a few  days  in  close  con- 
cealment. Even  the  men  of  the  farm  were  not 
suffered  to  know  that  he  was  there.  He  heard  the 
story  of  how  Thorbiorn  Oxmain  had  basely  and  in 
cowardly  manner  slain  his  brother,  when  Atli  was 
unarmed ; and  Grettir  considered  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  avenge  his  death. 


THE  SLAYING  OF  OXMAIN. 


145 


CHAPTEE  XXII. 

THE  SLAYING'  OF  OXMAIN. 

One  fine  day,  soon  after  his  return,  Grettir  mounted 
a horse,  and  without  an  attendant  rode  over  the  hill 
to  the  Eamsfirth,  and  came  down  to  Thorod’s-stead. 
This  is  still  a good  farm,  the  best  on  the  fiord,  and 
it  is  by  far  the  best  built  pile  of  buildings  thereabouts. 
It  faces  the  south  and  is  banked  up  with  turf  to  the 
north,  to  shelter  it  against  the  cold  and  furious  gales 
from  the  Polar  Sea.  The  soil  is  comparatively  rich 
there,  and  there  are  tracts  of  good  grass  land  on  the 
slope  of  the  hill  by  the  side  of  the  inlet  of  sea.  The 
farm  buildings  consists  at  present  of  a set  of  wooden 
gable  ends  painted  red,  and  the  roofs  are  all  of  turf, 
where  the  buttercups  grow  and  shine  luxuriantly. 

Grettir  rode  up  to  the  farmhouse,  about  noon,  and 
knocked  at  the  door.  Some  women  came  out  and 
welcomed  him  ; they  did  not  know  who  he  was,  or 
they  would  have  been  more  sparing  in  their  welcome. 
He  asked  after  Thorbiorn,  and  was  told  that  he  was 
gone  to  the  meadow,  a little  way  further  down  the 
firth,  where  he  had  gone  to  bind  hay,  and  that  he 
had  taken  with  him  his  son,  called  Arnor,  who  was 
a boy  of  sixteen. 

When  Grettir  heard  this,  he  said  farewell  to  the 

IQ 


146  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

women,  and  turned  his  horse’s  head  to  ride  down 
the  fiord  towards  a boiling  spring  that  bubbles  up 
out  of  the  rock,  throwing  up  a cloud  of  steam,  and 
running  in  a scalding  rill  into  the  sea.  Now  the 
rock  is  perhaps  warm  there,  or  the  warm  water  helps 
vegetation  ; certain  it  is  that  thereabouts  the  grass 
grows  thickly,  and  there  it  was  that  Thorbiorn  was 
making  his  bundles  of  hay.  As  Grettir  rode  along 
near  the  water,  below  the  field,  Thorbiorn  saw  him. 
He  had  just  made  up  one  bundle  of  ha}?',  and  he  was 
engaged  on  another.  He  had  set  his  shield  and 
sword  against  the  load,  and  his  lad  Arnor  had  a 
hand-ax  beside  him. 

Thorbiorn  looked  hard  at  Grettir  as  he  came  along, 
and  he  said  to  the  boy  : “ There  is  a fellow  riding 
this  way.  I wonder  who  he  is,  and  whether  he 
wants  us.  Leave  tying  up  the  hay,  and  let  us  find 
out  what  his  errand  is.” 

Then  Grettir  leaped  off  his  horse ; he  had  a hel- 
met on  his  head,  and  Avas  girt  Avith  a short  sword, 
and  he  bore  a great  spear  in  his  hand  that  had  a 
long  sharp  blade  but  no  barbs.  The  socket  was  in- 
laid Avith  silver,  and  a nail  went  through  the  socket 
fastening  it  on  to  the  staff  of  the  spear.  He  sat 
down  on  a stone,  and  knocked  the  nail  out.  His 
reason  Avas  that  he  intended  to  throw  the  spear  at 
Thorbiorn,  and  if  he  missed  him,  he  thought  the  spear- 
head and  the  haft  Avould  come  apart,  and  Avould  be 
of  no  use  to  Thorbiorn  to  fling  back  at  him. 

Oxmain  said  to  his  son  : “ I verily  believe  that  is 
Grettir,  Asmund’s  son,  he  is  so  big  ; I know  no  one 


THE  SLAYING  OF  OXMAIN.  147 

else  so  big.  He  has  got  occasion  enough  against  us, 
and  if  he  is  come  here  it  is  not  with  peaceable  inten- 
tions. Now  we  must  manage  cunningly.  I do  not 
know  that  he  has  seen  you;  so  you  hide  behind 
the  bundle  of  hay,  and  lie  hid  till  you  see  him  en- 
gaged with  me.  Then  you  steal  up  noiselessly  be- 
hind with  your  ax,  and  strike  him  one  blow  with  all 
your  might  between  the  shoulder-blades.  When  I 
see  you  coming  up,  I will  fight  the  more  furiously 
so  as  to  draw  off  his  attention,  that  he  may  not  be 
able  to  look  round.  Have  no  fear,  he  cannot  hurt 
you,  as  his  back  will  be  turned  to  you.  Get  close 
enough  to  make  sure,  and  you  will  kill  him  with  one 
blow.” 

Now  Grettir  came  uphill  into  the  field,  and  when 
he  came  within  a spear-throw  of  them,  he  cast  his 
spear  at  Thorbiorn  ; but  the  head  was  looser  on  the 
shaft  than  he  had  expected  it  would  be,  and  it  be- 
came detached  in  its  flight,  and  fell  off  and  dropped 
into  a marshy  place  and  sank,  and  the  shaft  flew  on 
but  a little  way  and  then  fell  harmlessly  to  the 
ground. 

Then  Thorbiorn  took  his  shield,  put  it  before  him, 
drew  his  sword  and  ran  against  Grettir  and  engaged 
him.  Grettir  had,  as  already  said,  the  short  sword 
that  he  had  taken  out  of  the  barrow,  and  with  that 
he  warded  off  the  blows  of  Thorbiorn  and  smote  at 
him.  Oxmainwas  a very  strong  man,  and  his  shield 
was  covered  with  well-tanned  hide  stretched  over 
oak,  and  the  blade  of  Grettir  fell  on  it,  hacked  into 
it,  and  sometimes  caught  so  that  he  could  not  at  once 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


I48 

withdraw  it.  Thorbiorn  bow  began  to  deal  more 
furious  blows.  Now  just  as  Grettir  was  wrenching 
his  sword  away  from  the  shield,  into  which  it  had 
bitten  deep,  he  saw  some  one  close  behind  him  with 
an  ax  raised.  Instantly  he  tore  out  his  sword  and 
smote  back  over  his  head  to  protect  his  back  from 
his  assailant  behind,  and  the  blow  came  on  Arnor 
just  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  driving  his  ax  in  be- 
tween the  shoulders  of  Grettir,  so  that  he  staggered 
back,  mortally  wounded.  Thorbiorn,  whose  eye  was 
on  his  son,  retreated  a step,  lost  his  presence  of  mind 
for  a moment,  and  thereupon  down  came.  Grettir’s 
sword  on  his  shield  and  split  it  in  half.  Grettir  pur- 
sued his  advantage,  pressed  on  him,  and  struck  him 
down  at  his  feet,  dead  at  a blow. 

Then  he  went  in  search  of  his  silver-inlaid  spear- 
head, but  could  not  find  it.  So  he  mounted  his  horse 
again,  and  rode  on  to  the  nearest  farmhouse,  and 
there  told  what  he  had  done.  Many,  many  years 
after,  about  1250,  the  spear-head  was  found  in  the 
marsh.  When  I was  in  Iceland  I also  obtained  a 
very  similar  spear-head,  only  not  silver-inlaid,  that 
was  found  in  the  volcanic  sand ; it  had  probably  been 
lost  in  a very  similar  manner. 

It  seems  to  us  in  these  civilized  times  very  horrible 
this  continual  slaying  that  took  place  in  Iceland  ; 
but  we  must  remember  that,  as  already  said,  there 
were  in  those  days' not  a single  policeman,  soldier, 
or  officer  of  justice  in  the  island.  When  a trial  took 
place,  the  prosecutor  was  the  person  aggrieved,  or 
the  nearest  akin.  The  court  pronounced  sentence, 


THE  SLAYING  OF  OXMAIN.  I49 

and  then  the  prosecutor  was  required  to  carry  out 
what  the  law  had  ordered.  He  was  to  be  constable 
and  executioner.  Now  the  law,  or  custom  which 
was  the  same  as  law,  for  there  was  no  written  code, 
was  that  when  one  man  had  been  killed,  the  next  of 
kin  was  bound  to  prosecute  the  slayer  and  obtain 
from  him  money  compensation,  or  outlawry,  or  else 
he  might  kill  the  slayer  himself,  or  one  of  his  kin. 
This  latter  provision  seems  to  us  outrageous,  that 
because  A kills  B,  therefore  that  C,  who  is  B’s 
brother,  may  kill  D,  who  is  brother  to  A.  But  so 
the  law  or  custom  stood  and  was  recognized  as  bind- 
ing, and  not  to  carry  out  the  law  or  custom  was  re- 
garded as  dishonorable.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  Iceland  was  colonized  about  a.  d.  900,  and  that 
Grettir  was  born  only  about  97  years  after,  and  that 
Christianity  was  adopted  in  1000  ; that  is  to  say,  it 
was  sanctioned  by  law,  but  no  one  was  forced  to  be- 
come a Christian  unless  he  liked.  Also,  that  there 
was  no  government  in  the  island,  no  central  au- 
thority, and  that  the  colonists  lived  much  as  do  the 
first  settlers  now  in  a new  colony  which  is  not  under 
the  crown,  or  like  the  diggers  at  the  gold  mines. 

When  Grettir  had  slain  Thorbiorn  Oxmain,  he 
went  home  to  Biarg  and  told  his  mother,  who  said  it 
was  well  that  Atli’s  blood  was  wiped  out  by  the 
death  of  the  man  who  had  so  basely  and  in  such 
cowardly  fashion  slain  him  ; but  she  said  she  fore- 
saw more  trouble  coming  like  a rising  black  cloud, 
and  that  this  would  make  it  more  difficult  for  Grettir 
to  get  relief  from  his  outlawry. 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


150 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

AT  LEARWOOD. 

After  the  slaying  of  Thorbiorn  Oxmain,  Grettir 
would  not  remain  at  home,  lest  trouble  should  come 
on  his  mother  ; so  he  rode  across  the  Neck  first 
of  all  to  his  brother-in-law,  at  Melar,  at  the  head  of 
the  Ramslirth,  to  ask  his  advice.  His  brother-in-law 
there  was  called  Gamli  ; he  was  not  very  rich  or 
powerful,  and  he  represented  to  Grettir  that  it  would 
never  do  for  him  to  remain  in  such  near  proximity 
to  Thorod’s-stead,  in  the  same  valley,  at  the  head  of 
the  same  firth.  This  Grettir  acknowledged,  so  he 
stayed  there  but  a few  days,  and  then  rode  over  the 
high  tableland  to  the  Lax,  or  Salmon-dale,  where 
was  the  watershed,  and  the  river  of  the  salmon  ran 
west  into  Hvamsfiord.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
and  best  written  of  the -Icelandic  sagas  relates  to  the 
history  of  this  valley.  The  Hvamsfiord  is  by  nature 
wonderfully  protected  against  western  storms,  for 
the  entrance  is  almost  blocked  to  the  west  by  a 
countless  multitude  of  islands,  of  which  only  one  is  > 
moderately  large,  and  to  the  northwest  is  not,  only 
a grassy  promontory,  but  also  a natural  breakwater 
of  three  long  narrow,  islands. 


AT  LEARWOOD. 


151 

Outside  the  cluster  of  islands  are  eddies  and  whirl- 
pools, and  the  passage  between  them  is  not  always 
safe  ; but  when  a vessel  has  passed  through  between 
the  islets  it  enters  as  into  a wide  beautiful  inland 
lake,  the  shape  of  which  is  that  of  a boot,  with  the 
sole  to  the  east  and  the  toe  turned  up  north.  More- 
over, along  the  north  side  of  this  sheltered  firth  are 
high  and  steep  hills  that  screen  from  the  water  all 
gales  sweeping  from  the  Pole ; and  in  the  glens  and 
under  the  crags  of  these  hills  exposed  to  the  south 
are  beautiful  woods  of  birch. 

Formerly  in  Iceland  the  woods  were  much  more 
extensive  than  they  are  now ; for  the  old  settlers 
found  in  them  plenty  of  fuel,  and  the  birch-trees 
grew  to  a fair  size.  Now,  alas,  with  fatal  want  of 
consideration,  the  trees  have  been  so  cut  down  that 
the  woods  are  rare  and  the  trees  are  small.  There 
is  hardly  a birch  tree  whose  top  one  cannot  touch 
when  riding  through  a wood  on  a little  pony  no 
bigger  than  a Shetlander. 

Exactly  at  the  toe  of  the  boot  is  a rich  grassy 
basin,  where  two  streams  flow  into  the  fiord,  and 
here  is  a beautiful  view  from  the  water.  One  sees 
in  front  the  green  basin,  and  above  it  rise  the  moun- 
tains to  Skeggoxl,  a cone  covered  with  eternal  snows 
and  with  glaciers  streaming  down  its  flanks.  Here, 
in  a sweet  sheltered  nook,  basking  in  the  sun,  in 
spring  with  the  river-side  and  the  marshes  blazing 
with  immense  marigolds,  and  with  the  short  grass 
slopes  speckled  with  blue  tiny  gentianella,  is  the 
farm,  and  near  it  the  wooden  church  of  Hvam.  In 


1 52  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

another  part  of  the  basin  is  a settlement  called 
Asgard,  the  “ Home  of  the  gods ; ” for  those  who 
settled  there  first  thought  the  spot  so  delightful,  so 
warm,  that  they  named  it  after  the  sunny  land  of 
fable,  where  it  was  said  that  their  ancestors,  the 
hero-gods  of  the  northern  race,  had  lived  in  the  east 
before  ever  they  crossed  Russia  and  settled  in  Nor- 
way. Asgard  to  their  minds  was  Paradise. 

Paradise  in  Iceland  is  not  a paradise  elsewhere ; 
nevertheless,  to  one  who  has  traveled  over  barren 
hills  and  between  glaciers,  this  warm  nook  with  its 
green  grass  and  woods  of  glistening  birch  was  a place 
of  inexpressible  charm.  Now,  just  to  the  east,  where 
would  come  the  ball  of  the  toe,  looking  across  the 
end  of  this  still  blue  lake-like  fiord,  up  the  valleys 
to  the  snows  of  Skeggoxl,  is  the  farm  of  Learwood, 
in  a grassy  flat  by  the  water,  backed  by  birchwood 
and  hills,  and  screened  from  the  east  as  well  as  from 
the  north  winds.  Here  lived  Thorstein  Kuggson. 
Kuggson’s  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Asgeir,  the 
father  of  Audun  of  Willowdale,  with  whom  Grettir 
had  a tussle  on  the  ice,  and  whom  he  afterwards 
upset  with  his  foot  when  he  was  carrying  curds. 
Kuggson  through  his  father  was  related  to  the  in- 
fluential and  wealthy  family  in  the  Laxdale,  whose 
history  is  well  known  through  the  noble  saga  that 
relates  the  story  of  that  valley. 

Grettir  spent  the  autumn  with  his  relative  Kugg- 
son. Now,  whilst  he  was  there  he  fell  to  talking 
one  day  with  Kuggson  about  his  trial  of  strength 
with  Audun,  and  Grettir  said  how  glad  he  was  that 


AT  LEARWOOD. 


IS3 

nothing  had  come  of  it.  It  was  said  that  he  was 
a man  of  ill-luck ; yet  luck  had  befriended  him  on 
that  occasion  in  sending  Bard  to  interrupt  the  struggle 
before  both  lost  their  tempers  and  the  quarrel  became 
serious. 

Then  said  Kuggson : “You  remind  me  of  the  story 
of  Bottle-back,  which,  of  course,  you  know.” 

“ It  is  many  years  since  I have  heard  the  tale,” 
answered  Grettir;  “for,  indeed,  I can  be  little  at 
home  now,  and  am  out  of  the  way  of  hearing  stories 
of  one’s  forefathers.  Tell  me  the  tale.” 

Then  Kuggson  told  Grettir. 

Ube  Story  of  JBottle-JBacft. 

“ You  know  very  surely,  Grettir,  that  your  great- 
grandfather was  Onund  Treefoot.  He  was  so  called 
because  in  the  great  battle  of  Haf’s  fiord,  fought 
against  King  Harald,  he  had  one  of  his  legs  cut  off 
below  the  knee.  You  have  been  told  how  that 
Onund  had  first  to  wife  Asa,  and  that  he  settled  at 
Coldback ; and  he  had  by  his  first  wife  two  sons, 
Thorgeir  and  Ufeig,  who  was  also  called  Grettir, 
and  it  is  after  him  that  you  are  named.  Onund’s 
second  wife  was  the  mother  of  Thorgrim  Grizzlepate, 
your  grandfather. 

“ The  story  I am  going  to  tell  you  relates  to  Thor- 
geir, the  eldest  son  of  Onund,  and  how  he  got  the 
name  of  Bottle-back.  You  might  think  he  acquired 
the  designation  from  a rounded  back.  It  was  not 
so,  he  had  a back  as  straight  as  yours. 

“ But  to  understand  the  story  of  how  he  got  the 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


154 

name,  I must  go  back  to  the  time  when  Onund, 
your  great-grandfather,  came  to  Iceland.  That  was 
in  the  year  of  Christ  900 ; he  was  unable  to  remain 
any  longer  in  Norway,  because  the  king,  Harald, 
was  in  such  enmity  with  him.  So  he  resolved  that 
he  would  come  to  Iceland  and  seek  there  a new 
home.  Now  this  was  somewhat  late,  for  the  colo- 
nization of  this  island  had  begun  some  five  or  six 
and  twenty  years  before,  and  there  had  come  out 
great  numbers  of  Norwegian  chiefs,  who  fled  from 
the  rapacity  and  the  vengeance  of  King  Harald 
Fairhair,  who  outlawed  every  man  who  took  up 
arms  against  him.” 

But  the  story  shall  be  told  not  in  Kuggson’s 
words,  but  in  mine. 

Onund  sailed  to  Iceland  from  Norway  in  the 
summer  of  a.d.  900,  and  he  had  a hard  voyage  and 
baffling  winds  from  the  south  that  drove  him  far 
away  to  the  north  into  the  Polar  Sea,  till  he  came 
near  the  pack-ice ; and  then  there  came  a change, 
and  he  made  south,  and  after  much  beating  about, 
for  he  had  lost  his  reckoning,  he  made  land,  and 
found  that  he  had  come  upon  the  north  coast  of  Ice- 
land, and  those  who  knew  the  looks  of  the  land  said 
he  was  off  the  Strand  Bay.  To  the  west  rose  the 
rocks  and  glaciers  of  the  Drang  Jokull,  and  to  the 
east  the  long  promontory  that  separated  the  Hunafloi 
from  Skagafiord. 

Presently  a ten- oared  boat  put  off  from  shore, 
rowed  by  six  men,  and  approached  Onund’s  vessel, 
and  the  men  in  the  boat  hailed  the  vessel  and  asked 


AT  LEARWOOD. 


155 


whose  it  was.  Onund  gave  his  name  and  inquired 
to  whom  the  men  belonged.  They  said  they  were 
servant  men  belonging  to  a farm  at  Dranger,  just 
under  the  mighty  field  of  glacier  of  Drang  Jokull. 
Onund  asked  if  all  the  land  was  taken  up  by  settlers, 
and  the  men  answered  that  along  the  north  coast  all 
such  land  as  was  worth  anything  was  taken  already, 
and  that  most  was  also  settled  to  the  south. 

Then  Onund  consulted  with  his  shipmates  what 
was  to  be  done,  whether  coast  along  the  north  pro- 
tuberance of  Iceland  in  search  of  uninhabited  land, 
or  go  into  the  great  bay  and  see  whether  any  chance 
opened  for  them  there.  They  had  arrived  so  late 
in  Iceland  after  the  main  rush  of  settlers  that  they 
could  not  expect  to  get  any  really  favorable  quar- 
ters. The  men  advised  against  exploring  the  north, 
exposed  to  the  cold  gales  from  the  Polar  Sea,  where 
the  fiords  would  be  blocked  with  ice  half  the  year ; 
and  thought  there  would  be  no  harm  trying  what 
they  could  find  further  south. 

So  Onund  turned  his  vessel  in  towards  the  head 
of  the  splendid  bay  Hunafloi ; but  seeing  a creek 
that  seemed  fairly  sheltered,  having  on  the  north 
some  quaint  spikes  of  rock,  and  a great  mountain  to 
the  south  like  a horn,  and  finding  that  this  fiord 
gave  a turn  northwards  under  the  shelter  of  the 
mountains,  the  men  with  Onund’s  consent  ran  in 
there,  and  having  anchored  the  vessel,  entered  a 
boat  and  rowed  ashore.  On  reaching  the  strand 
they  were  met  by  men  who  asked  them  who  they 
were  and  what  they  did  there.  Onund  said  he  had 


156  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

come  with  peaceable  intentions,  and  then  he  was 
told  that  all  that  fiord  was  occupied,  and  that  the 
owner  of  the  land  was  Eric  Trap,  a wealthy  man. 
Eric  came  to  the  beach  and  hospitably  invited  Onund 
and  his  ship’s  crew  to  his  house.  There  Onund  told 
him  his  difficulty.  He  had  come  to  Iceland  too  late, 
and  he  feared  that  he  would  be  able  nowhere  to 
find  unclaimed  lands. 

Eric  considered  a while,  and  then  said  there  was 
more  land  that  he  had  claimed  than  he  could  well 
keep  in  hand,  and  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  ac- 
commodate a man  of  such  noble  family  and  charac- 
ter as  was  Onund.  Onund  pressed  him  to  receive 
payment  for  the  land,  but  this  Eric  generously  re- 
fused. When  he  had  come  there,  said  Eric,  the 
country  had  been  unpeopled,  and  he  had  just  claimed 
what  he  liked,  and  had  claimed  more  than  he 
wanted.  Now  he  desired  to  have  neighbors,  and  if 
Onund  would  be  friendly  none  would  be  better 
pleased  than  himself  to  have  him  near. 

This  gratifying  offer  satisfied  Onund,  but,  as  the 
saying  is,  “ Don’t  look  a gift  horse  in  the  mouth,”  he 
did  not  at  once  close  with  the  offer,  but  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  see  the  land  Eric  was  so  ready  to  part  with. 

Accordingly  he  rode  with  Eric  along  the  coast, 
passed  the  headland  where  was  the  horn-shaped 
mountain,  and  came  upon  a fiord  where  some  boiling 
springs  poured  up  in  the  sea  out  of  its  depths  ; the 
mountains  on  the  north  came  down  so  abruptly  to 
the  water’s  edge  that  the  only  habitable  ground  lay 
at  the  head  of  the  firth  and  on  the  south  side,  having 


AT  LEARWOOD. 


157 

a northern  aspect.  Moreover  there  was  a lofty 
range  to  the  south,  so  that  in  winter  the  sun  would 
never  light  up  this  firth.  Onund  did  not  much  like 
it,  he  thought  that  Eric  had  offered  him  the  place 
because  he  did  not  care  for  it  himself ; so  he  went 
across  the  mountain  range  and  down  into  the  little 
bay  south  of  it.  As  they  rode  it  was  over  snow,  a 
long  descent  of  wintry  mountain,  till  they  reached 
a valley  in  which  was  a hot  spring,  a little  lake, 
and  some  grass.  The  situation  was  somewhat  more 
inviting  than  that  Onund  had  already  seen,  but  it 
was  not  very  attractive,  and  looking  back  on  the 
long  dreary  slope  of  snow  he  said,  “ A cold  back ! a 
cold  back ! I would  like  to  have  had  one  warmer.” 
“That  is  not  easily  acquired,”  answered  Eric. 
“ Further  south  there  is  no  fiord  for  many  miles  till 
you  come  to  one  occupied  by  a man  called  Biarni. 
That  I can  tell  you  is  a fertile  settlement,  there  are 
woods  and  pastures,  and  hot  springs  and  good 
anchorage  ; but  that  is  not  my  land  to  give  you.” 
Then  Onund  sang  a stave : 

“ All  across  life’s  strands  do  run, 

I who  many  war- wagers  won, 

Meadows  green  and  pastures  fair 
Once  were  mine,  and  woods  to  spare. 

Left  behind,  I rid  the  steed 

That  o’er  wave,  with  wind  doth  speed.1 

Cold — cold,  icy  back  behind, 

This  is  what  alone  I find, 

Hard  the  lot  that  fate  doth  yield 
To  the  bearer  of  the  shield.” 


1 i.e.  a ship. 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


158 

Eric  answered,  “ Many  men  have  lost  everything 
in  Norway,  and  have  got  nothing  in  exchange. 
Cold  may  be  the  back  against  which  to  lean ; but 
better  cold  back  than  none  at  all.” 

This  was  true.  Onund  had  not  received  Eric’s 
offer  graciously ; but  he  now  accepted  it,  and  he 
called  the  second  bay  he  saw — that  into  which  he 
had  descended  over  snow — Coldback,  and  that  re- 
mains the  name  to  this  day. 

Eric  behaved  very  nobly ; he  gave  up  to  Onund 
the  whole  tract  of  land  from  the  Horn-headland  to 
the  limit  where  Biarni’s  land  began.  He  received 
the  whole  of  Reykjafiord,  Fishless  Creek,  and  Cold- 
back  Bay. 

Then  Onund  built  himself  a house  at  Coldback  ; 
and  there  was  no  difficulty  about  wood,  for  the  Gulf- 
stream  flowed  up  past  the  great  northwest  promon- 
tory of  Iceland,  curled  round  into  Hunafloi,  and 
deposited  a quantity  of  American  timber  as  drift 
all  along  that  coast.  Indeed,  the  drift  was  so  abun- 
dant that  neither  Eric  nor  Onund  made  any  agree- 
ment about  it.  Now,  as  it  happened  in  the  sequel, 
this  was  an  oversight. 

Onund  prospered  at  Coldback,  and  even  set  up 
for  himself  a second  farm  at  the  head  of  the  firth  to 
the  north,  called  Reykja-firth,  from  the  boiling 
springs  that  puffed  and  bubbled  up  in  the  sea 
at  the  entrance;  and  a hot  spring  is  in  Icelandic 
— Reykr. 

Now,  a few  years  after  Onund  had  settled  in 
Iceland,  his  good  wife  Asa  died.  He  had  by  her 


AT  LEARWOOD. 


159 

two  sons — the  elder  was  called  Thorgeir,  and  the 
younger  Ufeig  Grettir.  After  a while  Onund  went 
courting  a woman  called  Thordis,  in  Middle-firth, 
and  he  married  her,  and  by  her  had  a son  called 
Thorgrim ; he  grew  to  be  a big  man,  very  strong, 
wise,  and  a capital  man  at  husbandry.  When  he 
was  twenty-five  years  old  his  hair  grew  gray,  and 
so  he  went  by  the  name  of  Thorgrim  Grizzlepate, 
and  he  was  the  grandfather  of  Grettir.  After  the 
death  of  Onund,  his  widow  married,  as  already 
said,  Audun  of  Willowdale,  and  their  son  was 
Asgeir,  the  father  of  Grettir’s  cousin  Audun,  with 
whom  he  had  that  affray  on  the  ice,  and  then  with 
the  bottle  of  curds. 

When  Onund  was  a very  old  man,  then  he  died 
in  his  bed,  and  he  was  buried  under  a great  mound, 
which  you  may  see  at  Coldback  if  you  go  there.  It 
is  called  Old  Treefoot’s  cairn.  When  he  was  dead, 
then  Thorgrim  Grizzlepate  and  his  half-brothers, 
Thorgeir  and  Ufeig  Grettir,  lived  together  on  the 
best  of  terms  at  Coldback,  and  managed  the  prop- 
erty between  them. 

In  time  Eric  Trap  of  Arness  died  also,  and  left  his 
lands  to  his  son  Flossi.  He  had  remained  in  friend- 
ship with  Onund  all  his  life;  but  Flossi,  his  son, 
was  a grasping  man,  and  he  was  often  heard  to 
grumble  about  the  Coldback  family,  and  say  that 
they  were  squatters  on  his  father’s  landj  and  had  no 
title  to  show  for  the  land  they  held  Thorgrim 
Grizzlepate  and  his  half-brothers  did  not  wish  to 
quarrel  with  Flossi,  so  they  kept  out  of  his  company ; 


l6o  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

and  when  there  were  sports  of  hurling,  and  wres- 
tling, and  horse-fighting,  strayed  away,  so  as  not  to 
be  involved  in  a quarrel  with  him. 

Now,  Thorgeir  was  the  eldest  of  the  three  brothers 
at  Coldback,  and  he  was  mightily  fond  of  fishing. 
This  was  known  to  Flossi,  and  he  made  a plot  for 
slaying  him ; for  he  was  envious  of  the  brothers, 
and  wanted  to  get  back  all  their  lands  into  his  own 
possession.  He  had  got  a house-churl  called  Finn, 
and  he  and  Finn  had  some  talk  together.  The  end 
of  this  talk  was  that  Finn  started  secretly  for  Cold- 
back  armed  with  a hatchet,  and  he  hid  himself  in 
the  boat-house  at  Coldback. 

Early  in  the  morning  Thorgeir  got  ready  to  go 
out  fishing,  for  the  weather  was  good,  the  sea  calm 
and  was  alive  with  fish.  His  nets  were  in  the  boat, 
and  before  sunrise  he  left  his  bed  and  dressed,  and 
went  to  the  boat-house  to  start  on  his  excursion. 
He  had  not  the  smallest  suspicion  of  mischief,  and 
as  he  was  like  to  be  on  the  water  for  a long  time,  he 
flung  a great  leather  bottle  of  curds  over  his  back. 
As  already  said,  these  leather  bottles  were  no  other 
then  the  hides  of  goats  or  sheep,  sewn  up  and  con- 
verted into  receptacles  for  liquid. 

So  Thorgeir  went  to  the  boat-house  with  the  bottle 
of  curd  over  his  back,  opened  the  door,  and  went  in. 
He  did  not  look  round,  he  had  no  suspicion  of  evil, 
and  he  did  not  see  Finn  lurking  in  the  dark  corner. 
It  was,  moreover,  very  dark  in  the  boat-house. 
Thorgeir  stooped  to  get  hold  of  the  boat  and  thrust 
her  out,  when  all  at  once  out  from  the  dark  corner 


AT  LEARWOOD. 


161 


leaped  the  churl,  and  brought  the  ax  down  on 
Thorgeir’s  back.  The  blow  made  the  bottle  squeak, 
and  all  the  curds  gushed  out.  That  was  enough  for 
Finn.  He  made  sure  he  had  killed  Thorgeir,  so  he 
ran  away  as  fast  as  he  could  back  to  Arness,  burst 
into  the  house,  and  shouted  to  his  master  “ I have 
killed  him ! I have  killed  him ! And  he  squeaked ! 
he  squeaked ! ” 

“ Let  me  look  at  the  ax,”  said  Flossie.  Then,  when 
he  had  the  ax  in  his  hand  he  turned  it  about  and 
laughed,  and  said,  “ Verily,  I did  not  think  that 
Thorgeir  had  milk  in  his  veins  instead  of  blood.  That 
accounts  for  it,  that  you  have  been  able  to  slay  him.” 

This  affair  was  a subject  of  much  comment,  and 
much  laughter  did  it  provoke.  Thorgeir  had  not  re- 
ceived the  smallest  wround,  only  his  bottle  was  split, 
and  ever  after  he  went  by  the  name  of  Bottleback. 

But  a song  was  made  about  this  event  which  was 
never  forgotten.  It  runs  thus 

“ Of  the  days  of  old 
Great  tales  are  told 
How  heroes  went  forth  to  fight, 

Their  shields,  for  show 
Were  whitened  as  snow, 

And  their  weapons  were  burnished  bright. 

The  battle  began, 

In  the  weapon-clang, 

The  red  blood  flowed  apace 

In  rivers  shed 
It  dyed  red 

The  shields  o’er  all  their  face. 


ii 


162 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


But  nowaday 
We  tune  our  lay 
To  tell  a different  story. 

The  churls  who  fight 
Bring  axes  white, 

With  curds  and  whey  made  gory.” 

When  Kuggson  ceased,  Grettir  laughed  heartily. 
“ Ah  ! ” said  he,  “ that  cannot  be  said  now,  for  indeed 
there  flows  much  blood.” 

“ You  speak  the  truth,”  answered  Kuggson  ; “ and 
I wish  that  this  red  stream  flowed  less  abundantly.” 
“ That  may  be,”  said  Grettir ; “ but  I would  fain 
hear  the  rest  of  the  story.  I have  not  heard  it  told 
me  for  a long  time  ; and,  indeed,  to  speak  the  truth, 
much  of  it  I have  clean  forgotten,  though  I did  hear 
it  when  I was  a boy  at  home.” 

“ If  you  will  hear  what  follows,  it  must  be  as  a 
new  story,”  said  Kuggson.  Again  I will  tell  it  in 
my  own  words. 

Ube  Storp  of  tbe  Stranbeb  Wbale. 

Hard  times  came  to  Iceland,  such  as  had  not  been 
known  since  it  was  settled,  for  the  timber  that  had 
been  thrown  up  by  the  sea  came  to  an  end,  or  very 
nearly  so.  There  had  been  great  accumulations, 
and  these  were  exhausted,  and  for  some  reason  or 
other  that  cannot  now  be  explained  the  Gulf-stream 
ceased  to  carry  on  its  current  the  amount  of  timber 
it  had  formerly,  the  wreckage  of  the  forests  on  the 
Mississippi,  swept  down  into  the  great  Mexican 
Gulf,  and  thence  washed  out  over  the  vast  Atlantic, 


AT  LEAR  WOOD. 


163 

borne  on  the  warm  stream  to  the  north,  to  give  fuel 
to  those  lands  which  were  by  nature  unprovided 
with  trees.  At  this  time  the  ax  was  laid  against 
the  largest  and  finest  birch  that  grew  in  the  forest 
in  Iceland.  But  none  of  that  timber  was  big  and 
good  enough  for  building  purposes. 

This  deficiency  in  driftwood  continued  for  many 
seasons,  and  if  men  required  building  timber  they 
were  constrained  to  send  to  Norway  for  it.  Now, 
it  happened  that  about  this  time  a great  merchant 
vessel  was  wrecked  in  the  fiord  in  the  lap  of  which 
was  Arness,  where  lived  Flossi,  and  he  took  four  or 
five  of  the  chapmen  to  his  house,  and  lodged  them 
there  well  and  hospitably,  and  the  other  wrecked 
men  were  quartered  in  other  farmhouses  near.  All 
winter  the  men  were  engaged  in  building  anew  ship 
out  of  the  wreck  and  what  other  timber  they  could 
get ; but  they  were  not  skilful  over  their  work,  and 
they  built  a badly-proportioned  vessel,  over  small  at 
the  stem  and  stern  and  over  big  amidships ; and 
this  vessel  was  much  laughed  at,  and  men  called  it 
the  Wooden-tub,  and  that  bay  where  Flossi  lived 
was  ever  after  called  Wooden-tub  Bay,  because  this 
broad-beamed,  comical  vessel  was  built  there. 1 

Now,  it  fell  out  that  at  the  spring  equinox  there 
was  a great  storm’  from  the  north,  and  it  lasted  a 
week.  The  waves  came  in  huge  rollers  against  the 
cliffs,  and  spouted  like  geysers  into  the  air,  and  all 
the  air  was  in  a haze  with  spray,  and  was  full  of  the 
noise  of  the  sea.  Those  who  lived  on  the  coast  were 


1 It  is  still  so  called,  Trekyllis  vik. 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


164 

not  sorry  for  the  storm,  because  they  hoped  it  would 
blow  in  driftwood  and  other  spoils  of  the  deep  upon 
the  shores ; and  sure  enough,  when  it  abated,  a man 
who  lived  out  on  Reykja-ness  came  and  told  Flossi 
that  there  was  a great  whale  washed  ashore  there. 
Then  Flossi  sent  word  to  all  the  farms  round  to  the 
north.  But  hard-by  where  the  whale  had  come 
ashore  lived  a farmer  named  Einar,  who  was  a 
tenant  under  the  brothers  at  Coldback,  so  he  took  a 
boat  and  rowed  off  to  Coldback,  and  told  them  about 
the  monster  that  was  stranded. 

When  Thorgrim  and  his  brothers  Thorgeir  and 
Ufeig  heard  this,  they  got  ready  at  once,  and  were 
twelve  in  a ten-oared  boat,  with  axes  and  knives  for 
cutting  up  the  whale.  Another  boat  put  off  from 
another  of  their  farms,  with  six  men  in  it,  and  others 
were  sure  to  come  as  soon  as  they  could  get  ready. 

In  the  meantime  Flossi  and  all  his  company, 
his  kindred,  servants,  and  tenants,  had  hurried  to 
the  spot,  and  were  already  engaged  in  cutting  up 
the  whale,  when  round  the  ness  came  the  boat  of 
the  brothers.  Now  the  shore  where  the  whale  was 
cast  up  belonged  to  the  brothers,  and  they  called  out 
to  Flossi  to  assert  their  right  to  whatever  was  found 
on  the  strand.  Flossi  answered  that  if  they  had 
any  right  to  the  drift  they  must  show  their  claim, 
They  had,  he  said,  been  allowed  by  his  father  to 
squat  on  his  land,  but  his  father  had  never  given  over 
to  them  all  his  rights,  certainly  not  the  lordship 
over  the  strand,  and  claim  to  flotsam  and  jetsam. 
Whilst  the  dispute  continued,  up  came  other  boats 


AT  LEARWOOD. 


165 

of  the  Coldback  party,  and  then  a long  boat,  that 
contained  a fellow  called  Swan,  who  lived  in  Biorn- 
fiord,  to  the  south  of  Coldback,  a very  warm  friend 
of  the  brothers,  and  a plucky,  resolute  man. 

Thorgrim  was  hesitating  what  to  do,  when  Swan 
told  him  it  would  be  mean  to  allow  himself  to  be 
robbed.  Moreover,  this  assault  on  his  rights,  if  not 
resisted,  would  establish  a precedent,  and  Flossi 
would  claim  everything  found  on  their  strand,  even 
at  their  very  doors. 

So  a fight  began.  The  Coldback  men  came 
ashore,  and  Thorgeir  Bottle-back  mounted  the  car- 
cass of  the  whale,  to  drive  off  the  servants  of  Flossi. 
Among  these  was  Finn ; he  was  near  the  head  of 
the  whale,  and  stood  in  a foothold  he  had  cut  for 
himself.  Then  Thorgeir  Bottle-back  said,  “ Ah  ! I 
owe  you  a stroke  of  the  ax,  which  has  not  been 
repaid  as  yet,”  and  he  smote  at  him,  and  felled  him. 
Flossi  egged  on  his  men,  and  a desperate  fight 
ensued ; some  fought  on  the  body  of  the  whale, 
some  about  it.  There  were  hardly  any  present  who 
had  other  weapons  save  choppers  and  axes,  and  they 
hewed  at  each  other  with  these.  But  some  had  no 
other  weapons  than  the  ribs  of  the  whale,  and  it  is 
even  said  that  some  of  the  churls  flourished  great 
strips  of  blubber,  with  which  they  banged  each 
other  about,  nearly  smothering  each  other  in  oil, 
but  not  doing  much  harm. 

The  battle  was  going  ill  with  Flossi,  when  there 
arrived  a contingent  of  men  from  Drangar,  with 
many  boats,  and  gave  help  to  Flossi,  and  then  those 


1 66  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

of  Coldback  were  borne  back  overpowered ; but 
they  did  not  retreat  till  they  had  loaded  their  boats. 
Swan  shouted  to  the  Coldbackers  to  get  on  board  as 
quickly  as  they  could,  for  he  saw  more  men  coming 
against  them  from  the  north.  Flossi  received  a 
wound,  but  TJfeig,  one  of  the  three  brothers,  was 
dealt  his  death-wound  before  he  could  get  into  the 
boat,  and  he  fell  on  the  strand.  Thorgeir  Bottle- 
back  at  once  leaped  out  of  the  vessel,  ran  to  his 
brother,  heaved  him  up  in  his  arms  and  plunged 
back  through  the  surf  with  him,  and  lifted  him  into 
the  boat,  where  he  died.  It  is  told  that  in  this 
battle  one  man  was  beaten  to  death  by  the  rib  of 
a whale,  and  that  was  one  of  the  chapmen  of  the 
wrecked  vessel. 

After  this,  the  matter  was  brought  before  the 
assize,  for  the  question  of  the  right  to  the  shore  had 
to  be  decided  one  way  or  the  other.  And  it  was 
decided  in  this  manner : Flossi  was  condemned  to 
outlawry  for  his  high-handed  proceeding,  and  be- 
cause of  the  death  of  Ufeig  Grettir ; but  the  question 
of  the  rights  Avas  thus  settled  by  the  judge,  Thorkel 
Moon.  He  said,  “ I cannot  see  that  the  claim  made 
by  the  Coldback  men  is  established,  for  no  money 
passed  between  Onund  and  Eric.  I know  this  about 
the  land  that  was  possessed  by  my  grandfather 
Ingold,  and  which  is  noAv  my  own.  He  received  it 
from  Steinver  the  Old ; but  then  he  gave  her  a 
mottled  cloak,  and  that  was  a pledge  of  sale ; and 
this  has  never  been  contested.  In  the  matter  of  the 
lands  inhabited  by  the  Coldback  men,  as  far  as  I 


AT  LEARWOOD. 


167 

can  learn,  not  even  a straw  was  given  in  exchange. 
However,  it  is  proved  that  they  have  held  the  land, 
and  have  taken  the  drift  for  a long  time  ; and  that 
the  original  owner,  Eric,  did  not  dispute  their  doing 
so.  I therefore  decide  that  a compromise  shall  hold 
good.  The  Coldback  brothers  must  surrender  all 
the  Reykja-firth,  and  content  themselves  with  the 
land  south  of  that.  And  I also  decide  that  they 
shall  exercise  full  and  undisputed  rights  to  the  land, 
to  all  that  grows  on  it,  to  the  sea  and  what  it 
throws  up,  along  that  bit  of  strand  that  remains  to 
them.” 

How  when  Kuggson  had  finished  this  story,  then 
Grettir  said,  “ You  have  not  told  how  my  grand- 
father and  great-uncle  parted.” 

“ No,”  said  Kuggson.  “ There  is  not  much  to 
tell  about  that.  The  two  brothers  agreed  to  separate, 
as  your  grandfather  wanted  to  marry  in  the  Middle- 
firth.  Bottle-back  remained  at  Coldback.” 

“ Now  that  you  have  spoken  so  much  about  Cold- 
back,”  said  Grettir,  “I  will  tell  you  something, 
though  it  is  to  my  discredit.” 

“ Say  on,”  answered  Kuggson.  “ Men  are  gener- 
ally more  ready  to  boast  than  to  discredit  them- 
selves.” 

“When  I was  a little  boy,”  said  Grettir,  “my 
father  suffered  from  a cold  back  and  great  pains  in 
it,  in  winter,  and  he  only  got  ease  when  it  was 
rubbed  with  a hot  flannel.  I was  a bad,  idle  boy, 
and  I was  set  in  winter  to  rub  his  cold  back.  This 
I resented.  I thought  it  was  a work  fit  only  for 


l68  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

servants,  and  one  day  when  my  father  had  made  me 
rub  his  old  back  till  I was  tired,  then  he  said  to  me, 
“ You  are  growing  slack  ; rub  harder,  that  I may 
feel  your  hand.”  “ Do  you  so  want  to  feel  my  hand, 
father,’  I said.  Then  I saw  a wool-comb  hard  by 
that  the  women  had  used  for  carding  wool,  and  I 
caught  it  and  rubbed  down  my  father’s  back  with 
that — so  that  he  shrieked  with  pain,  and  I made  the 
blood  flow.  It  was  a wicked  act.  I think  of  it  now 
the  old  man  is  dead,  and  I am  sorry.” 

“ Yes,”  said  Kuggson,  “ it  was  an  evil  act.  Men 
say  that  you  are  an  unlucky  man.  How,  I do  not 
wonder  at  your  ill-luck,  for  none  ever  raised  his 
hand  against  his  father  but  there  followed  him  ill 
in  consequence  of  so  doing  all  his  days.” 


THE  FOSTER-BROTHERS. 


169 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  FOSTER-BROTHERS. 

Now,  the  kinsmen  of  Oxmain  heard  where  Grettir 
was,  so  they  resolved  to  form  a party,  and  fall 
upon  him  at  Learwood.  But  Grettir’s  brother-in- 
law  was  aware  of  this  and  forewarned  Grettir,  so  he 
went  away  to  the  north,  and  he  followed  Gilsliord 
till  he  reached  Reyk-knolls,  where  was  a pleasant 
farm  near  the  sea,  where  also  were  a great  number 
of  ever-boiling  springs,  that  poured  and  squirted  and 
fizzed  out  of  mounds  of  red-clay.  Here  lived  a man 
called  Thorgils  Arison,  and  he  asked  this  man  if  he 
would  give  him  shelter  through  the  winter. 

Arison  said  that  he  would.  “ But,”  said  he,  “ there 
is  only  plain  fare  in  my  house.” 

“ I am  not  choice  as  to  my  food,  so  long  as  I have 
a roof  over  my  head,”  answered  Grettir. 

“ There  is  one  matter  further,”  said  Arison. 
‘ Somehow  or  other  I get  men  come  to  me  and 
offer  to  become  my  guests  who  cannot  settle  else- 
where, and  I get  a rough  lot  at  times.  That  comes 
of  being  too  good-hearted  to  bid  them  pack.  Even 
now  I have  two  such  good-for-naughts  guesting  with 
me,  two  foster-brothers,  Thorgeir  and  Thormod; 
rough,  unkempt  men,  of  bad  tempers  both,  and  I 


170 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


wot  not  how  you  will  agree  together.  You  may 
come  and  put  your  head  within  my  doors  if  you  will, 
but  on  one  condition,  that  there  be  no  fighting  and 
knocking  about  of  my  other  guests.” 

Grettir  answered  that  he  would  not  be  the  first 
to  raise  strife,  and  that  if  the  foster-brothers  pro- 
voked him  beyoud  endurance  he  would  go  elsewhere, 
and  not  give  his  host  annoyance  by  a brawl  in  his 
house. 

With  this  promise  Arison  was  content. 

Thorgils  Arison  was  a firm  man,  and  he  told  the 
foster-brothers  that  he  would  have  no  disturbance 
whilst  they  were  with  him,  and  they  also  promised 
to  be  orderly.  Thorgeir  did  not  like  Grettir.  He 
scowled  at  him  and  contradicted  him,  but  did  not 
pursue  his  rudeness  beyond  bounds;  and  when 
Grettir  was  ruffled,  a word  from  the  master  of  the 
house  served  to  appease  the  rising  blood.  - 

So  the  early  winter  wore  away. 

Now,  the  good  man,  Thorgils  Arison,  owned  a 
cluster  of  islands  in  the  firth  that  are  called  Olaf’s 
Isles  ; they  lie  a good  sea-mile  and  a half  beyond  the 
ness.  On  them  grass  grows,  and  there  the  bonder 
kept  his  cattle  to  fatten  in  autumn.  Now,  there  was 
an  ox  on  one  of  these  isles  that  Arison  said  he  must 
have  home  before  the  snow  and  storms  of  winter 
came  on,  as  he  intended  to  kill  the  beast  for  the 
feasting  of  Yule.  So  the  foster-brothers  and  Gret- 
tir volunteered  to  go  out  to  the  island,  and  fetch 
the  ox  home. 

They  went  down  to  the  sea  and  got  out  a ten- 


THE  FOSTER-BROTHERS.  Ijl 

oared  boat,  and  there  were  but  these  three  to  man 
it.  The  weather  was  cold,  and  the  wind  was  shift- 
ing from  the  north  and  not  settled.  They  rowed 
hard,  and  reached  the  island ; but  the  sea  was  running 
and  foaming  over  the  shore,  and  they  saw  it  would 
be  no  easy  matter  to  get  the  ox  on  board  with  such 
a surf.  So  the  brothers  told  Grettir  he  must  hold 
the  boat,  whilst  they  got  the  ox  in.  He  agreed, 
and  went  into  the  water,  and  stood  amidships  on 
the  side  out  to  sea,  and  thrust  the  boat  towards 
the  shore,  whilst  the  brothers  labored  to  get  the  ox 
in.  Thorgeir  took  up  the  ox  by  the  hind  legs,  and 
Thormod  by  the  fore  legs,  as  the  beast  refused  to 
be  driven  on  board,  and  so  they  carried  the  an- 
imal into  the  boat ; but  Grettir,  who  held  the  craft, 
had  the  sea  up  to  his  shoulder-blades,  and  he  held 
her  perfectly  fast. 

When  the  ox  was  hove  in,  Grettir  let  go  and  got 
into  the  boat.  Thormod  took  oar  in  the  bows,  Thor- 
geir amidships,  and  Grettir  aft,  and  so  they  made 
out  into  the  open  bay.  As  they  came  out  from  the 
lee  of  the  island  the  squall  caught  them,  the  waves 
leaped  and  foamed,  and  Thorgeir  shouted  “Now 
then,  stern  ? Have  you  gone  to  sleep  ? Why  are 
you  lagging  ? ” 

Grettir  answered,  “ The  stern  will  not  lag  when 
the  rowing  afore  is  good.” 

Thereupon  Thorgeir  fell  to  rowing  so  furiously 
that  both  the  tholes  were  broken.  So  he  called  to 
Grettir,  “ Row  on  steadily  whilst  I mend  the  thole- 
pins.” 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


172 

Then  Grettir  rowed  so  mightily,  whilst  Thorgeir 
was  engaged  mending  the  pins,  that  he  wore  through 
the  oars,  and  when  Thorgeir  was  ready  they  snapped 
like  matches. 

“ Better  row  with  less  haste  and  more  caution,” 
growled  Thormod. 

Then  Grettir  stooped  and  picked  out  of  the  bottom 
of  the  boat  two  unshapen  oar-beams  that  lay  there  ; 
but  as  they  were  too  big  to  go  between  the  thole- 
pins, he  bored  large  holes  in  the  gunwales,  and  thrust 
the  oars  through,  and  rowed  thus  so  mightily  that 
every  rib  and  plank  of  the  boat  creaked,  and  the 
foster-brothers  were  in  fear  lest  with  his  rowing  he 
would  tear  the  craft  to  pieces.  However,  they 
reached  the  shore  in  safety. 

Then  Grettir  asked  whether  the  brothers  would 
rather  haul  up  the  boat,  or  go  home  with  the  ox. 
They  preferred  to  haul  the  boat  ashore,  and  found 
that  it  was  hung  with  icicles,  for  the  water  had 
frozen  on  the  sides : but  Grettir  led  home  the  ox, 
which  was  very  fat,  and  very  unwilling  to  be  dragged 
along,  so  that  Grettir  became  impatient. 

When  the  foster-brothers  had  finished  baling  out 
the  boat,  and  had  put  her  under  cover,  they  went  up 
to  the  house,  and  on  reaching  it  Thorgeir  inquired 
after  Grettir,  but  Arison  the  bonder  said  he  had  not 
seen  him  or  the  ox.  Then  he  sent  out  men  in  quest 
of  him,  for  he  supposed  something  must  have  be- 
fallen him  ; and  when  they  came  to  where  the  land 
dipped  towards  the  sea  they  saw  a strange  object 
indeed  coming  towards  them,  and  did  not  know  at 


THE  FOSTER-BROTHERS. 


173 


first  whether  what  they  saw  was  a human  being  or 
a troll.1  On  approaching  nearer  they  saw  that  this 
strange  object  was  Grettir,  who  was  carrying  the  ox 
on  his  back,  and  striding  up  the  hill  with  the  beast, 
which  had  the  head  hanging  over  his  shoulder,  the 
tongue  out,  and  was  lowing  plaintively.  The  sight 
was  infinitely  comical,  and  the  men  who  saw  it 
burst  out  laughing,  and  this  made  Grettir  also  laugh, 
so  that  he  dropped  the  ox. 

Now,  it  must  be  known  that  this  story  is  not 
manifestly  absurd,  for  the  Icelandic  cattle  are  very 
small,  like  Brittany  cows,  and  bear  the  same  relation 
to  a good  English  ox  that  a pony  does  to  a horse. 
Nevertheless  the  feat  was  only  such  as  a strong 
man  could  have  accomplished.  It  had  taken  the 
two  brothers  to  carry  the  ox  down  into  the  boat, 
and  here  was  Grettir  alone  carrying  him  up 
hill. 

This  deed  of  Grettir  was  much  talked  of,  and  this 
made  Thorgeir,  the  elder  of  the  foster-brothers,  very 
jealous  of  Grettir,  and  he  hated  him,  and  sought  to 
do  him  an  injury.  One  day  after  Yule,  Grettir  went 
down  to  the  bath  that  was  made  by  turning  a stream 
of  hot  water  from  one  of  the  natural  boiling  springs 
into  a walled  basin  into  which  also  cold  water  could 
be  turned  from  a rill.  In  former  times  the  Ice- 
landers were  very  particular  about  bathing,  and 
were  a clean  people.  At  the  present  day  they  never 
bathe  at  all,  and  such  of  the  old  baths  as  remain  are 
out  of  order  and  full  of  grass  and  mud. 

1 A troll  is  a mountain  demon  or  giant. 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


174 

Thorgeir  said  to  his  brother,  “ Let  us  go  now  and 
try  how  Grettir  will  start,  if  I set  upon  him  as  he 
comes  away  from  his  bath.” 

“ I do  not  like  this,”  answered  Thormod ; “ you 
will  vex  our  host,  and  get  no  advantage  over 
Grettir.” 

“ I will  try  what  I can  do,”  said  the  elder ; and  . 
he  took  his  ax,  hid  it  under  his  cloak,  and  went 
down  towards  the  bathing-place. 

When  he  had  reached  it  he  said,  “ Grettir,  there 
is  a talk  that  you  have  boasted  that  no  man  could 
make  you  take  to  your  heels.” 

“ I never  said  that,”  answered  Grettir,  “ but 
anyhow  you  are  not  the  man  to  make  me 
run.” 

Then  Thorgeir  swung  up  his  ax  and  would  have 
cut  at  Grettir  ; but  Grettir  suspected  that  the  man 
meant  , mischief,  and  he  was  ready,  so  that  the  in- 
stant he  drew  out  the  ax  and  swung  it,  Grettir 
dashed  forward  at  him,  struck  him  in  the  chest  and 
sent  him  staggering  back,  so  that  he  sprawled  his 
length  on  the  ground, 

Then  Thorgeir  shouted  to  his  brother,  “ Why 
do  you  stand  by  and  let  this  savage  kill 
me?  ” 

Thormod  then  laid  hold  of  Grettir,  and  endeavored 
to  drag  him  away,  but  his  strength  was  not  sufficient 
to  effect  this. 

At  that  moment  up  came  Arison,  the  bonder,  and 
he  bade  them  be  quiet  and  have  naught  to  do  with 
Grettir. 


THE  FOSTER-BROTHERS.  175 

So  the  brothers  stood  up,  and  Thorgeir  pretended 
it  was  all  sport,  that  he  had  only  proposed  giving 
Grettir  a fright ; but  the  bonder  hardly  believed 
him.  As  for  the  younger  of  the  brothers,  it  was 
well  seen  that  he  had  been  drawn  into  the  matter 
against  his  will.  So  the  winter  passed,  and  peace 
was  kept.  This  little  struggle  with  Grettir  had 
shown  Thorgeir  that  it  would  be  ill  for  him  to -have 
dealings  with  a man  so  prompt  and  strong  as  Grettir, 
and  he  controlled  himself  and  did  not  seek  to  pick 
a quarrel  with  him  any  more.  At  the  same  time  he 
did  not  like  him  any  better.  Thorgils  Arison  got 
great  credit,  when  it  was  reported  that  throughout 
an  entire  winter  he  had  maintained  such  turbulent 
men  as  the  foster-brothers  and  Grettir  under  his 
roof  without  their  having  fought.1 

But  when  spring  came  then  they  went  away,  all 
of-  them,  away  over  the  heaths  and  moors  of  the 
interior. 

When  we  say  that  Grettir  was  on  the  heaths  and 
moors,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  region  so 
called  was  at  all  like  the  moors  of  Scotland  or 
England.  The  heaths  and  moors  of  Iceland  are  up- 
land desert  regions  with  only  here  and  there  a 
scanty  growth  of  vegetation,  a little  whortleberry, 
no  heath  at  all,  but  vast  tracts  of  broken  stone  and 
mud  and  black  sand,  with  perhaps  here  and  there 
an  occasional  hill  of  yellow  sandstone.  Most  of  the 
rock  is  perfectly  black,  and  breaks  into  pieces  with 

1 There  is  an  entire  saga  relating  to  the  history  of  these 
brothers,  called  the  Foster-Brothers’  Saga. 


176  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

sharp  angles.  What  is  called  Icelandic  moss  is  a 
black  lichen  that  grows  on  the  stones,  and  there  is 
a very  little  gray  moss  to  be  seer  . Where  there  is 
a burn  or  a stream  a little  grass  may  grow,  but  the 
amount  is  small  indeed. 


HOW  GRETTIR  WAS  WELL-NIGH  HUNG.  1 77 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

HOW  GRETTIR  WAS  WELL-NIGH  HUNG. 

Now,  after  the  slaying  of  Thorbiorn  Oxmain,  his 
kinsman  Thorod  took  the  matter  up,  and  rode  to  the 
great  assize  with  a large  train  of  men. 

The  relatives  of  Grettir  also  appeared  at  the 
assize,  and  they  took  advice  of  Skapti,  the  law-man ; 
and  he  said  that  Atli  was  slain  a week  before  the 
sentence  of  outlawry  was  pronounced  against  Grettir, 
that  Thorbiorn  Oxmain  was  guilty  of  that,  and  his 
relatives  must  pay  a heavy  fine  for  the  murder 
But  he  said  that  Grettir  was  an  outlaw  when  he 
slew  Thorbiorn.  Now  being  an  outlaw  he  was  out- 
side the  cognizance  of  the  law,  he  was  as  one  not  a 
native  of  the  country,  as  one  over  whom  the  law 
had  no  longer  jurisdiction  ; that,  therefore,  his  slay- 
ing of  Thorbiorn  could  not  count  as  expiation  of  the 
slaying  of  Atli ; that,  moreover,  no  suit  against  an 
outlawed  man  could  stand — it  was  illegal : that  the 
only  way  in  which  Grettir  could  be  brought  into 
court  was  by  the  removal  of  the  sentence  of  out- 
lawry, when  at  once  he  could  be  prosecuted. 

Thorod  was  disconcerted  at  this  ; for  he  could  not 
bring  an  action  against  Grettir,  and  the  Biarg  people 
did  now  bring  an  action  against  him  for  the  slaying 
12 


178  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

of  Atli,  and  the  court  gave  sentence  that  he  should 
pay  down  two  hundred  ounces  of  silver  as  blood  fine 
for  Atli. 

Now,  at  this  court,  Snorri  the  judge  proposed  a 
compromise.  He  suggested  that  the  fine  should  be 
let  drop,  and  that  Grettir  should  be  held  scatheless, 
that  the  outlawry  should  be  set  aside,  and  the  slay- 
ing of  Thorbiorn  be  put  against  the  slaying  of  Atli, 
and  so  reconciliation  be  made. 

Thorod  did  not  at  all  want  to  pay  down  two 
hundred  ounces  of  silver,  and  the  Biarg  family  were 
very  willing  to  have  the  outlawry  done  away  with  ; 
so  both  parties  were  quite  willing  to  accept  this 
compromise,  but  Thorir  of  Garth  had  to  be  reck- 
oned with.  Grettir  was  outlawed  at  his  suit  for 
the  burning  of  his  sons,  and  he  must  be  brought 
to  consent,  or  this  arrangement  could  not  take 
place. 

But  Thorir  was  not  to  be  moved.  In  vain  did 
the  law-man  Snorri  urge  him,  and  represent  to  him 
that  Grettir,  at  large,  an  outlaw,  was  a danger 
menacing  the  country,  that  he  was  driven  to  des- 
peration, Thorir  absolutely  refused  to  allow  the  sen- 
tence to  be  withdrawn.  Not  only  so,  but  he  said  he 
would  set  a higher  price  on  his  head  than  had  been 
set  on  the  head  of  any  outlaw  before,  and  that  was 
three  marks  of  silver.  Then  Thorod,  not  to  be  be- 
hind with  him,  offered  three  more. 

Grettir  resolved  to  get  as  much  out  of  the  way  of 
his  enemies  as  he  could,  so  he  went  into  that  strange 
excrescence,  like  a hand  joined  on  by  a narrow  wrist 


HOW  GRETTIR  WAS  WELL-NIGH  HUNG.  179 

to  Iceland,  that  extends  to  the  northwest.  In  this 
peninsula  are  two  great  masses  of  snow  and  glacier 
mountain,  called  Glam-jokull  and  Drang-jokull. 
They  do  not  rise  to  any  great  height,  hardly  three 
thousand  feet,  but  they  are  vast  domes  of  snow,  with 
glaciers  sliding  from  them  to  the  firths,  and  these 
fall  over  the  edges  of  the  precipitous  cliffs  in  huge 
blocks  of  ice  that  float  away  on  the  tide  as  icebergs. 
The  largest  of  all  the  fiords  that  penetrates  this 
region  is  called  the  Ice-firth,  and  it  runs  between 
these  great  mountains  of  snow  and  glaciers.  At 
the  extremity  of  the  estuary  the  valleys  are  well- 
wooded — that  is  to  say,  well  wooded  for  Iceland — 
with  birch-trees,  for  their  valleys  are  very  sheltered, 
and  the  sea-water  that  rolls  in  bears  with  it  a certain 
amount  of  heat,  for  it  has  been  affected  by  the  Gulf- 
stream. 

One  of  these  valleys  is  called  'Waterdale,  and  at 
the  time  of  our  story  there  lived  there  a man  named 
Yermund  the  Slim,  and  his  wife’s  name  was  Thor- 
biorg ; she  was  a big,  fine  woman.  Another  valley 
is  Lang-dale.  Grettir  went  to  Lang-dale — there 
he  demanded  of  the  farmers  whatever  he  wanted, 
food  and  clothing,  and  if  they  would  not  give  him 
what  he  asked,  he  took  it.  This  was  not  to  their 
taste  at  all,  and  they  wished  that  they  were  rid  of 
Grettir.  He  could  not  remain  long  in  one  place,  so 
he  rode  along  the  side  of  the  Ice-firth  demanding 
food,  and  sleeping  and  concealing  himself  in  the 
woods.  So  in  his  course  he  came  to  the  upland 
pastures  and  dairy  that  belonged  to  Yermund  Slim, 


i8o 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


and  he  slept  there  many  nights,  and  hid  about  in 
the  woods. 

The  shepherds  on  the  moors  were  afraid  of  him, 
and  they  ran  down  into  the  valleys  and  told  the 
farmers  everywhere  that  there  was  a big  strange 
man  on  the  heights,  who  took  from  them  their 
curd  and  milk,  and  dried  fish,  and  that  they  were 
afraid  to  resist  his  demands.  They  did  not  quite 
know  what  he  was,  whether  a man  or  a mountain 
spirit. 

So  the  farmers  gathered  together  and  took  advice, 
and  there  were  about  thirty  of  them.  They  set  a 
shepherd  to  watch  Grettir’s  movements,  and  let 
them  know  when  he  could  be  fallen  npon.  Now,  it 
fell  out  one  warm  day  that  Grettir  threw  himself 
down  in  a sunny  spot  to  sleep.  The  glistening  beech 
leaves  were  flickering  behind  him,  the  rocks  were 
covered  with  the  pale  lemon  flowers  of  the  dryas , 
and  between  the  clefts  of  the  stone,  masses  of  large 
purple-flowered  geranium  stood  up  and  made  a glow 
of  color  deep  into  the  wood. 

It  is  a mistake  to  suppose  that  Iceland  is  bare  of 
flowers  ; on  the  contrary,  there  are  more  flowers  there 
than  grass.  Beneath  Grettir  the  turf  was  full  of 
tiny  deep-blue  gentianellas,  just  as  if  the  turf  were 
green  velvet,  with  a thread  of  blue  in  it  coming 
through  here  and  there. 

The  shepherd  stole  near  enough  to  see  that  Grettir 
really  was  fast  asleep,  and  then  he  ran  and  told  the 
bonders,  who  came  noiselessly  to  the  spot.  It  was 
arranged  among  them  that  ten  men  should  fling 


HOW  GRETTIR  WAS  WELL-NIGH  HUNG.  l8l 

themselves  on  him,  whilst  the  others  fastened  his 
feet  with  strong  cords. 

They  made  a noose,  and  cautiously  without  waking 
him  managed  to  get  it  about  his  legs  ; then,  all  at 
once,  ten  of  them  threw  themselves  on  his  body,  and 
tried  to  pin  down  his  arms.  Grettir  started  from 
his  sleep,  and  with  one  toss  sent  the  men  rolling  off 
him,  and  he  even  managed  to  get  to  his  knees. 
Then  they  pulled  the  noose  tighter  and  brought  him 
down ; he,  however,  kicked  out  at  two,  whom  he 
tumbled  head  over  hfeels,  and  they  lay  stunned  on 
the  earth.  Then  one  after  another  rushed  at  him, 
some  from  behind.  He  could  not  get  at  his  weapons, 
which  they  had  removed,  and  though  he  made  a 
long  and  hard  fight,  and  struggled  furiously,  they 
were  too  many  for  him,  and  they  overcame  him  in 
the  end,  and  bound  his  hands. 

How,  as  he  lay  on  the  grass,  powerless,  they  held 
a council  over  him  what  should  be  done.  The  chief 
man  of  that  district  was  Yermund  Slim,  but  he  was 
from  home.  So  it  was  settled  that  a farmer  named 
Helgi  should  take  Grettir  and  keep  him  in  ward  till 
Yermund  came  home. 

“ Thank  you  gratefully,”  said  Helgi ; “ but  I have 
other  business  to  attend  to  than  to  keep  sentinel 
over  this  man.  My  hands  are  fully  occupied  without 
this.  Hot  if  I know  it  shall  he  cross  my  threshold.” 

So  the  farmers  considered,  and  decided  that  an- 
other man  who  lived  at  Giorvidale  should  have  the 
custody  of  Grettir. 

“ You  are  most  obliging,”  said  he ; “ but  I have 


182 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


only  my  old  woman  with  me  at  home,  and  how  can 
we  two  manage  him  ? Lay  on  a man  only  such  a 
burden  as  he  can  bear.” 

They  considered  again,  and  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  one  Therolf  of  Ere  should  have  the  charge 
of  Grettir. 

But  he  replied,  “ No,  thank  you,  I am  short  of 
provisions,  there  is  hardly  food  enough  at  my  house 
for  my  own  party.” 

Then  they  appointed  that  he  should  be  put  with 
another  farmer ; but  he  said,  “ If  he  had  been  taken 
in  my  land,  well  and  good,  but  as  he  has  not,  I won’t 
be  encumbered  with  him.” 

Then  every  farmer  was  tried,  and  all  had  excuses 
why  they  should  not  have  the  care  of  Grettir ; and 
consequently,  as  no  one  would  have  him,  they  re- 
solved to  hang  him.  So  they  set  to  work  and  con- 
structed a rude  gallows  there  in  the  wood,  and  a 
mighty  clatter  they  made  over  it. 

Whilst  thus  engaged,  it  happened  that  Thorbiorg, 
Yermund’s  wife,  was  riding  up  to  her  mountain  dairy, 
attended  by  five  servants.  She  was  a stirring,  clever 
woman,  and  when  she  saw  so  many  men  gathered 
together  and  making  such  a noise,  she  rode  towards 
them  to  inquire  what  they  were  about. 

“ Who  is  that  lying  in  bonds  there  ? ” she  asked. 

Then  Grettir  answered  and  gave  his  name. 

“ Why,  how  is  it,  Grettir,”  she  said,  “ that  you 
have  given  so  much  trouble  in  this  neighborhood  ? ” 

“ I must  needs  be  somewhere,”  he  answered. 
“ And  wherever  I am,  there  I must  have  food.” 


HOW  GRETTIR  WAS  WELL-NIGH  HUNG.  1 83 

“ It  is  a piece  of  ill-luck  that  you  should  have 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  these  bumpkins,”  said  she. 
Then  turning  to  the  farmers  she  asked  what  they 
purposed  doing  with  Grettir. 

“ Hang  him,”  answered  they. 

“ I do  not  deny  that  Grettir  may  have  deserved 
the  rope,”  said  Thorbiorg  ; “ but  I doubt  if  you  are 
doing  wisely  in  taking  his  life.  He  belongs  to  a 
great  family,  and  his  death  will  not  be  to  your 
quietness  and  content  if  you  kill  him.”  Then  she 
said  to  Grettir,  “ What  will  you  do  if  your  life  be 
given  you  ? ” 

“ You  propose  the  conditions,”  said  he. 

“ Y ery  well,  then  you  must  swear  not  to  revenge 
on  these  men  what  they  have  done  to  you  to-day, 
and  not  to  do  any  violence  more  in  the  Ice-firth.” 

Grettir  took  the  required  oath,  and  so  he  was 
loosed  from  his  bonds.  He  said  afterwards  that 
never  had  he  a harder  thing  to  do  than  to  control 
his  temper,  when  set  free,  and  not  to  knock  the 
farmers’  heads  together  like  nuts  and  crack  them, 
for  what  they  had  done  to  him. 

Then  Thorbiorg  invited  him  to  her  house,  and  he 
went  with  her  to  the  Water-firth,  and  there  abode 
till  her  husband  returned,  and  when  Y ermund  heard 
all,  then  he  was  well  pleased ; and  deemed  that  his 
wife  had  acted  with  great  prudence  and  kindness. 
He  asked  Grettir  to  remain  there  as  long  as  was 
consistent  with  his  safety,  and  Grettir  accepted  his 
hospitality,  and  continued  there  as  his  guest  till  late 
in  the  autumn,  when  he  went  south  to  Learwood, 


184  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

where  was  Kuggson,  with  whom  he  purposed  spend- 
ing the  winter.  However,  he  was  not  able  to  stay 
there,  for  it  soon  became  known  where  he  was,  and 
his  enemies  prepared  to  take  him.  He  accordingly 
left  and  went  to  a friend  in  another  fiord,  and  re- 
mained a short  Avhile  with  him,  but  was  obliged  for 
the  same  reason  to  fly  thence  also  ; and  so  he  spent 
the  winter  dodging  about  from  place  to  place,  never 
able  to  remain  long  anywhere,  because  his  enemies 
were  so  resolved  on  his  death,  and  were  on  the 
alert  to  fall  on  him  wherever  they  heard  he  was 
sheltering. 


IN  THE  DESERT. 


185 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

IN  THE  DESERT. 

The  island  of  Iceland  is  one-third  larger  than 
Ireland,  but  then  the  population  is  entirely  confined 
to  the  coast.  All  the  center  of  the  island  is  desert 
and  mountain.  One  mighty  mass  of  mountain 
covered  with  eternal  snow  and  ice  occupies  the 
south  of  the  island  and  approaches  the  sea  very 
closely  in  the  southeast.  Much  of  this  is  unexplored ; 
it  has  of  recent  years  been  traversed  once,  across  the 
great  Vatna-jokull,  but  there  are  passes  west  of  the 
Vatna.  The  mountain  masses  are  broken  into  three 
main  masses.  The  vast  Vatna-jokull  is  to  the  east, 
then  comes  a pass,  and  next  the  circular  Arnafells- 
jokull,  then  another  pass,  and  lastly  the  jumble  of 
snow  mountains  that  form  the  Ball-jokull  and  the 
Lang-jokull,  the  Goatland  and  the  Erick’s-jokull. 
North  of  the  Vatna-jokull  is  a vast  region,  as  large 
as  a big  county,  covered  with  lava  broken  up  into 
bristling  spikes  and  deep  clefts  of  glass-like  rock, 
which  no  one  can  possibly  get  across.  In  the  midst 
of  it,  inaccessible,  rise  the  cones  of  volcanoes  that 
have  poured  forth  this  sea  of  molten  rock.  East  and 
west  of  this  mighty  tract  of  broken-up  lava  come 
extensive  moors  also  quite  desert,  covered  with  inky- 


1 86  GRETTIR  the  outlaw. 

black  sand  which  has  been  erupted  by  volcanoes, 
burying  and  destroying  what  vegetation  there  was. 
The  extent  of  desert  may  be  understood  when  you 
learn  that  there  are  twenty  thousand  square  miles  of 
country  perfectly  barren  and  uninhabitable,  and  only 
partially  explored.  There  are  but  four  thousand 
square  miles  in  Iceland  that  are  inhabited  ; the  rest 
of  the  country  is  a chaos  of  ice,  desert,  and  volcanoes. 
The  great  lava  region  mentioned  north  of  the  Yatna 
covers  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty  square 
miles,  and  the  Yatna  envelopes  three  thousand  five 
hundred  square  miles  in  ice.  How,  here  and  there 
in  this  vast  region  there  are  certain  sheltered  spots 
where  some  grass  grows,  valleys  that  have  escaped 
the  overflow  of  the  molten  rock,  or  the  thrust  of  the 
glacier ; and  during  the  ninety  years  that  Iceland 
had  been  inhabited,  every  now  and  then  a churl  who 
got  tired  of  service,  or  a murderer  afraid  of  his  life, 
ran  away  into  the  center  of  the  island,  and  lived  a 
precarious  existence  on  the  wild  birds,  their  eggs, 
and  on  the  fish  that  abounded  in  the  countless  lakes. 
Probably  also  they  stole  sheep,  and  carried  them 
away  to  the  mysterious  recesses  of  the  desert  where 
they  had  made  for  themselves  homes.  They  lived 
chiefly  in  caverns,  of  which  there  are  plenty  thus 
formed: — When  the  lava  poured  as  a fiery  stream 
out  of  the  volcanoes,  in  cooling  great  bubbles  were 
formed  in  it,  sometimes  these  bubbles  exploded,  blew 
the  fragments  into  the  air,  which  fell  back  and  made 
a mass  of  broken  bits  of  rock  like  an  exploded  soda- 
water  bottle  ; but  all  the  bubbles  did  not  burst,  and 


IN  THE  DESERT. 


i87 

such  hardened  when  the  rock  became  cool.  These 
bubbles  remain  as  great  domed  halls,  and  some  of 
them  run  deep  underground,  forming  a succession 
of  chambers.  I havfe  explored  one  where  a band  of 
outlaws  once  lived,  and  found  numbers  of  sheep- 
bones  frozen  up  in  ice  in  the  place  where,  after  they 
had  eaten  the  mutton,  they  threw  away  what  they 
could  not  devour.  At  the  end  of  the  cave  they  had 
erected  a wall  so  as  to  inclose  a space  as  a store 
chamber. 

These  men,  living  in  the  desert  and  rarely  seen, 
were  the  subject  of  many  tales,  and  it  was  not  clearly 
known  who  and  what  they  really  were,  whether 
altogether  human,  or  half  mountain-spirits.  Imagi- 
nation invested  them  with  supernatural  powers. 

"When  spring  came  and  the  snows  melted,  then 
Grettir  left  the  farmhouse  where  he  had  been  last 
in  hiding,  and  went  into  the  desert,  to  find  food  and 
shelter  for  himself. 

One  day  he  saw  a man  on  horseback  alone  riding 
over  a ridge  of  hill.  He  was  a very  big  man,  and 
he  led  another  horse  that  had  bags  of  goods  on  his 
back.  The  man  wore  a slouched  hat  so  that  his  face 
could  not  clearly  be  seen. 

Grettir  looked  hard  at  the  horse  and  the  goods  on 
the  pack-saddle,  and  thought  he  would  probably  find 
some  of  these  latter  serviceable  to  him,  and  in  his 
need  he  was  not  particular  how  he  got  those  things 
which  he  wanted.  So  he  went  up  to  the  rider  and 
peremptorily  ordered  him  to  stand  and  deliver. 

“ Why  should  I give  you  things  that  are  my  own  ?” 


1 88 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


asked  the  stranger.  “ I will  sell  some  of  my  wares 
if  you  can  pay  for  them.” 

“I  have  no  money,”  answered  Grettir,  “ what  I 
want  I take.  You  must  have  heard  that  by  report.” 

“ Then  I know  with  whom  I have  to  deal ; you 
are  Grettir  the  outlaw,  the  son  of  Asmund  of  Biarg.” 
Thereat  he  struck  spurs  into  his  horse  and  tried  to 
ride  past. 

“ Nay,  nay ! We  part  not  like  this,”  said  Grettir, 
and  he  laid  his  hands  on  the  reins  of  the  horse  the 
stranger  rode. 

“ You  had  better  let  go,”  said  the  mounted  man. 

“ Nay,  that  I will  not,”  answered  Grettir. 

Then  the  rider  stooped  and  put  his  hands  to  the 
reins  above  those  of  Grettir,  between  them  and  the 
bit,  and  he  dragged  them  along,  forcing  Grettir’s 
hands  along  the  bridle  to  the  end  and  then  wrenched 
them  out  of  his  grasp. 

Grettir  looked  at  his  palms  and  saw  that  the  skin 
had  been  torn  in  the  struggle.  Then  he  found  out 
that  he  had  met  with  a man  who  was  stronger 
than  himself. 

“ Give  me  your  name,”  said  he.  “ For,  good  faith ! 
I have  not  encountered  a man  like  you.” 

Then  the  horseman  laughed  and  sang : 

“ By  the  Caldron’s  side 
Away  I ride, 

Where  the  waters  rush  and  fall 
Adown  the  crystal  glacier  wall 
There  you  will  find  a stone 
Joined  to  a hand — alone.” 


IN  THE  DESERT. 


189 

This  was  a puzzling  answer.  The  meaning  was 
that  he  lived  near  a waterfall  that  poured  out  of  the 
Ice  mountain,  and  that  his  name  was  Hall-mund, 
hall  is  a stone  and  mund  is  the  hand. 

Grettir  and  he  parted  good  friends ; and  as  he 
rode  away  Hall-mund  called  out  to  Grettir  that  he 
would  remember  this  meeting,  and  as  it  ended  in 
friendliness  he  hoped  to  do  him  a good  turn  yet, — 
that  when  every  other  place  of  refuge  failed  he  was 
to  seek  him  “ by  the  Caldron’s  side,  where  the  waters 
rush  and  fall,  adown  the  crystal  glacier  wall  ” under 
Ball-jokull,  and  there  he  would  give  him  shelter. 

After  this  Grettir  went  to  the  house  of  his  friend 
the  law-man  Skapti,  and  asked  his  advice,  and 
whether  he  would  house  him  for  the  ensuing  winter. 

“ No,  friend,”  answered  Skapti,”  you  have  been 
acting  somewhat  lawlessly,  laying  hands  on  other 
men’s  goods,  and  this  ill  becomes  a well-born  man 
such  as  you.  Now,  it  would  be  better  for  you  not 
to  rob  and  reive,  but  get  your  living  in  other  fashion, 
even  though  it  were  poorer  fare  you  got,  and  some- 
times you  had  to  go  without  food.  I cannot  house 
you,  for  I am  a law-man,  and  it  would  not  be  proper 
for  me  who  lay  down  the  law  to  shelter  such  a 
notorious  law-breaker  as  yourself.  But  I will  give 
you  my  advice  what  to  do.  To  the  north  of  the 
Erick’s  jokull  is  a tangle  of  lakes  and  streams.  The 
lakes  have  never  been  counted  they  are  in  such 
quantities,  and  no  one  knows  how  to  find  his  way 
among  them.  These  lakes  are  full  of  fish,  and  swarm 
with  birds  in  summer.  There  is  also  a little  creeping 


190  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

willow  growing  in  the  sand,  and  some  scanty  grass. 
It  is  only  one  hard  day’s  ride  over  the  waste  to 
Biarg,  so  that  your  mother  can  supply  you  thence 
with  those  things  of  which  you  stand  in  absolute 
need,  as  clothing,  and  you  can  fish  and  kill  birds  for 
your  subsistence,  and  will  have  no  need  to  rob  folk 
and  exact  food  from  the  bonders,  thereby  making 
yourself  a common  object  of  terror  and  dislike. 
One  more  piece  of  advice  I give  you — Beware  how 
you  trust  any  one  to  be  with  you.” 

Grettir  thought  this  advice  was  good — only  in  one 
point  was  it  hard  for  him  to  folio  vv.  He  was  haunted 
with  these  fearful  dreams  at  night  which  followed 
the  wrestle  with  Glam,  and  in  the  long  darkness  of 
winter  the  dreadful  eyes  stared  at  him  from  every 
quarter  whither  he  turned  his,  so  that  it  was  unen- 
durable for  him  to  be  alone  in  the  dark. 

Still — he  went.  He  followed  up  the  "White  River 
to  the  desert  strewn  with  lakes  from  which  that  river 
flowed,  and  there  found  himself  in  utter  solitude  and 
desolation. 

A good  map  of  Iceland  was  made  in  1844,  and  on 
that  fifty-three  lakes  are  marked,  but  the  smaller 
tarns  were  not  all  set  down.  In  such  a tangle  of 
water  and  moor  Grettir  might  be  in  comparative 
security.  He  settled  himself  on  a spot  of  land  that 
runs  out  into  the  waters  of  the  largest  of  the  sheets 
of  water,  Avhich  goes  by  the  name  of  the  Great  Eagle 
Lake,  and  thereon  he  built  himself  a hovel  of  stones 
and  turf,  the  ruins  of  which  remain  to  this  day,  and 
I have  examined  them. 


ON  THE  GREAT  EAGLE  LAKE. 


191 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

ON  THE  GKEAT  EAGLE  LAKE. 

Grettir  was  settled  now  on  the  Great  Eagle 
Lake.  This  lake  is  shaped  like  the  figure  8, 
only  that  the  spot  of  land  between  the  upper  and 
lower  portion  of  the  lake  does  not  run  quite  across. 
On  one  side  of  this  spot  the  rock  falls  away  precipi- 
tously into  the  water,  whereas  it  slopes  on  the  other. 
If  I had  had  a spade  and  pick,  and  if  there  had  been 
more  grass  on  the  moor  so  as  to  allow  of  a longer 
stay,  I would  have  dug  about  the  foundations  of 
Grettir’s  hut,  and,  who  can  tell ! I might  perhaps 
have  found  some  relic  of  him.  There  is  no  record  of 
any  one  else  having  inhabited  it  since  he  was  there, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  13th  century,  when  the 
Saga  of  Grettir  was  committed  to  writing,  there 
remained  the  ruins  of  his  hut,  but  no  one  lived  at 
the  place.  Now  there  is  no  human  habitation  for 
many  miles  ; the  lake  was  a day’s  journey  on  horse- 
back from  the  nearest  farm,  where  I had  spent  the 
night.  You  must  get  some  idea  of  the  place  Avhere 
now  for  some  years  Grettir  was  to  live. 

The  moor  is  made  up  of  rock  split  to  fragments 
by  the  frost,  and  with  wide  tracts  between  the  ridges 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


192 

of  rock  strewn  with  black  volcanic  ash  and  sand.  It 
lies  high ; when  I camped  out  there  at  the  end  of 
June,  there  was  no  grass  visible,  only  angelica  shoots 
and  a little  trailing  willow,  so  that  my  horses  had  to 
feed  on  these.  The  willow  does  not  rise  above  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  but  its  roots  trail  long  distances 
under  the  surface,  groping  for  nutriment : and  for 
fuel  one  has  to  dig  out  these  roots  with  one’s  Angers, 
and  employ  those  which  are  dryest.  Every  dip  in 
the  moor  is  Ailed  with  a lake,  and  every  lake  has  in 
it  a pair  of  swans  ; in  addition  there  are  abundance 
of  other  wild  fowl,  and  on  the  moor  are  ptarmigan 
that  live  on  the  Aowers  of  the  whortle  or  blae-berry. 

Above  the  rolling  horizon  of  moor,  to  the  south 
rises  the  great  snowy  dome  of  Erick’s  jokull.  This 
is  in  reality  a huge  volcano,  with  precipitous  sides 
of  black  lava  towering  up  like  an  immense  giant’s 
castle.  The  great  crater  has  been  choked  up  with 
the  snow  of  centuries,  and  the  snow  in  falling 
had  piled  up  a vast  cupola  of  snow  and  ice  standing 
high  above  the  black  walls,  and  sliding  and  falling 
over  the  edges  in  a succession  of  avalanches.  When, 
at  eleven  o’clock  at  night,  I looked  out  of  my  tent  at 
Erick’s- jokull,  the  scene  was  sublime.  The  sun  had 
just  gone  under  the  northern  horizon  of  snow  and 
hill,  but  shone  on  the  great  dome  of  Erick’s-jokull, 
turning  it  to  the  purest  and  most  delicate  rose  color, 
and  the  walls  of  upright  basalt  that  sustained  the 
dome  were  of  the  purple  of  a plum.  Grettir  obtained 
nets  and  a boat  from  home,  and  such  'things  as  he 
wanted  for  his  hut.  One  great  advantage  of  his 


ON  THE  GREAT  EAGLE  LAKE.  193 

present  situation  was  that  three  different  roads  or 
rather  tracks  led  to  it  from  Biarg,  so  that  those  who 
wanted  to  come  to  him  from  home  could  select  their 
way  and  avoid  observation,  till  they  got  among  the 
lakes,  when  they  were  in  a labyrinth  in  which  anyone 
might  easily  be  lost,  and  anyone  could  escape  a pur- 
suer. It  is  true  that  it  was  a long  and  arduous  day’s 
ride  from  Biarg  to  the  Eagle  Lake,  but  the  whole  of 
the  course  along  each  of  the  ways  lay  through  unin- 
habited land. 

Now,  when  other  outlaws  heard  that  Grettir  was 
on  the  Eagle  Lake  Heath,  they  had  a mind  to  join 
themselves  to  him,  and  Grettir  was  not  unwilling  to 
have  a companion,  so  lonely  did  he  feel  on  this  waste, 
and  also  so  fearful  was  he  of  being  by  himself  in  the 
dark. 

There  was  a man  called  Grim,  who  was  an  outlaw  ; 
and  Grettir’s  enemies  made  a bargain  with  him,  that 
he  should  go  to  the  Eagle  Lake  Heath,  pretend  to  be 
friends  with  Grettir,  seek  opportunity,  and  kill  him. 
They  on  their  side  undertook,  if  he  would  do  this,  to 
get  his  sentence  of  outlawry  reversed,  and  to  furnish 
him  liberally  with  monejr. 

Accordingly  he  went  to  the  moor,  and  after  some 
trouble,  found  Grettir,  and  asked  if  he  might  live 
with  him. 

Grettir  replied,  “I  do  not  much  relish  such  company 
as  yours,  for  you  have  got  into  outlawry  through 
very  infamous  deeds.  I mistrust  you  ; nevertheless 
I will  suffer  you  to  remain  if  you  work  hard  and  be 
obedient.  I do  not  want  idle  hands  here.” 

13 


194 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


Grim  said  he  was  willing,  and  prayed  hard  that  he 
might  dwell  there,  and  carried  his  point.  He  re- 
mained with  Grettir  the  whole  of  the  winter  ; there 
was  not  much  friendship  between  them.  Grettir 
mistrusted  him  all  along,  and  was  never  parted  from 
his  weapons,  night  or  day,  and  Grim  did  not  venture 
to  attack  him  whilst  he  was  awake. 

But  one  morning,  when  Grim  came  in  from  fishing, 
he  went  into  the  hut  and  stamped  his  foot  and  made 
a noise,  seeing  that  Grettir  lay  in  his  bed  asleep ; 
and  he  was  desirous  to  know  how  soundly  he  slept. 
Grettir  did  not  start  and  open  his  eyes,  but  lay  quite 
still.  Then  Grim  made  more  noise,  thinking  that  if 
Grettir  were  awake  he  would  chide  him  ; but  Grettir 
made  no  motion.  Then  Grim  made  sure  that  he  was 
fast  asleep,  and  he  stepped  to  his  side.  Now,  the 
short  sword  that  had  been  taken  out  of  the  barrow 
of  Karr  the  Old  hung  above  the  bed-head.  Grim 
leaned  over  Grettir  and  laid  hold  of  the  sword,  and 
put  both  hands  to  it  to  draw  it  out  of  the  sheath. 
At  that  instant  Grettir  started  up,  caught  Grim 
round  the  waist  and  flung  him  backwards  so  that  he 
was  stunned,  and  the  sword  fell  from  his  hand.  So 
Grettir  made  him  confess  that  he  had  been  bribed 
to  set  on  him  and  murder  him.  And  then  Grettir 
would  have  no  more  of  him,  and  resolved  to  live 
entirely  alone.  Yet — directly  he  was  alone,  his 
dreams,  and  his  horror  of  the  dark,  returned  on  him. 
Now,  Thorir  of  Garth  heard  of  an  outlaw  named 
Thorir  Red  beard,  a very  big  man,  who  for  murder 
had  been  outlawed,  and.  was  therefore  in  hiding 


ON  THE  GfcEAT  EAGLE  LAKE.  105 

somewhere.  Thorir  of  Garth  sent  out  messengers 
in  search  of  him,  and  at  last  brought  about  a meet- 
ing, and  then  he  offered  him  a great  deal  of  money 
if  he  would  kill  Grettir.  Eedbeard  said  it  was  no 
easy  task,  for  that  Grettir  was  wise  and  wary. 

“ It  is  because  it  is  no  easy  task  that  I set  you  to 
do  it,”  said  Thorir  of  Garth.  “ You  are  no  milksop 
to  do  easy  jobs.” 

This  flattered  Eedbeard,  and  he  undertook  to  do 
what  was  required.  He  came  out  on  the  Eagle  Lake 
Heath  in  the  autumn  after  that  winter  when  Grim 
had  been  with  Grettir  and  made  the  attempt  on  his 
life.  Grettir  was  feeling  uneasy  and  troubled,  as  the 
days  grew  shorter,  with  the  eyes  that  he  thought 
stared  at  him  from  every  quarter,  and  although  his 
judgment  prompted  him  to  refuse  hospitality  to 
Eedbeard,  yet  his  dread  of  being  alone  in  the  dark 
induced  him  to  disregard  his  doubts.  So  he  reluct- 
antly admitted  Eedbeard  to  be  an  inmate  of  his  cot. 

“ How,  mind  this,”  said  Grettir.  “ I let  a man  be 
with  me  here  last  winter,  and  he  lay  wait  for  my 
life.  If  I find  that  you  are  false,  then  I shall  not 
spare  you.” 

Eedbeard  said  he  wished  for  nothing  else ; and  so 
Grettir  received  him,  and  found  him  to  be  a very 
powerful  man,  and  so  energetic  that  he  was  of  the 
greatest  assistance  to  Grettir. 

Eedbeard  was  with  him  all  that  winter  (1019- 
1020)  and  found  no  occasion  on  which  he  could 
take  Grettir  unawares.  Then  set  in  the  next  winter 
1020-1021,  and  Eedbeard  had  begun  to  loathe  his 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


196 

life  on  the  heath,  and  no  wonder,  for  he  saw  no  one 
save  Grettir  ; the  cold  and  desolation  of  the  spot  was 
surpassingly  wretched.  Now  he  became  impatient 
to  kill  Grettir  and  get  away. 

One  night  a great  storm  broke  over  the  moor 
whilst  he  and  Grettir  were  asleep.  The  roar  of  the 
wind  woke  Redbeard  and  he  ran  outside  the  hut, 
down  to  the  water-side,  and  with  a huge  stone  he 
smashed  the  fishing-boat,  so  that  it  sank ; and  the 
oars  and  bits  he  had  broken  off  he  threw  away  into 
the  lake.  So  did  he  with  the  nets. 

When  he  came  in  Grettir  was  awake  also,  and  he 
asked  how  fared  the  boat. 

“ She  has  broken  from  her  mooring,”  answered 
Redbeard,  “ and  has  been  dashed  to  bits  on  the 
rocks.” 

Then  Grettir  jumped  up,  and  taking  his  weapons 
ran  out  to  the  end  of  the  spit  of  land  on  which  his 
hut  was  built,  and  saw  how  the  nets  were  drifting  in 
the  waves  and  were  entangled  with  the  oars. 

“ Jump  in,  swim  out,  and  bring  them  to  shore,” 
said  he  to  Redbeard.  The  man  shook  his  head  and 
answered : 

“ I can  do  anything  save  swim.  I have  not  held 
back  from  any  other  work  you  have  set  me,  but 
swim  I cannot.” 

Then  Grettir  laid  his  weapons  down  by  the  water- 
side and  prepared  to  jump  in.  But  he  mistrusted 
Redbeard,  so  he  said,  “ I will  get  in  the  nets,  as  you 
cannot ; but  1 trust  you  will  not  deal  treacherously 
by  me.” 


ON  THE  GREAT  EAGLE  LAKE. 


197 


Redbeard  answered,  “ I should  be  a base  fellow 
and  unworthy  to  live  if  I were  false  to  you  now — 
after  you  have  housed  me  so  long.” 

Then  Grettir  put  off  his  clothes,  and  went  into  the 
water,  and  swam  out  to  the  nets. 

He  swept  them  up  together  and  brought  them 
towards  the  land,  and  cast  them  up  on  the  bank  ; 
but  the  moment  he  attempted  to  land  Red  beard 
caught  up  the  short  sword,  drew  it  hastily  and  ran 
at  Grettir  and  smote  at  him,  just  as  he  was  heaving 
himself  up  out  of  the  water.  The  blade  would  have 
cut  into  his  neck,  or  between  his  shoulder-blades,  had 
not  Grettir  instantly  let  go,  and  fallen  backwards 
into  the  water  and  sunk  like  a stone.  Sinking  thus 
headlong  he  reached  the  bottom,  and  instead  of  rising 
to  the  surface  again  he  clung  to  the  rocks  under 
water,  and  groped  his  way  along  as  close  as  he  could 
to  the  bank,  so  that  Redbeard  might  not  see  him 
till  he  had  reached  the  back  of  the  creek  and  got 
aland. 

Now,  Redbeard  stood  at  the  end  of  the  promontory 
looking  into  the  water,  much  puzzled.  He  had  not 
cut  Grettir  with  the  sword,  and  yet  Grettir  was 
gone  down,  and  did  not  rise.  He  thought  he  must 
have  struck  his  head  against  a stone,  and  so  have 
sunk,  and  he  looked  out  into  the  water  wondering 
where  and  when  he  would  rise.  Meanwhile  Grettir 
had  come  ashore  behind  him  and  was  approaching 
stealthily.  Redbeard  was  unaware  of  his  danger 
till  Grettir  had  his  arms  about  him,  had  heaved  him 
over  his  head  and  dashed  him  down  on  the  rocks,  so 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


198 

that  his  skill  was  broken.  After  that  Grettir  resolved 
not  to  take  another  outlaw  into  his  house,  though 
he  could  hardly  endure  to  be  alone. 

Thorir  of  Garth  did  not  hear  of  the  death  of  Red- 
beard  till  next  summer  at  the  great  assize ; and  then 
he  was  so  angry,  and  so  resolved  to  make  an  end  of 
Grettir,  that  he  collected  a body  of  resolute  men,  his 
servants  and  others  whom  he  hired  for  the  purpose, 
to  the  number  of  nearly  eighty,  to  sweep  the  Eagle 
Lake  Heath  and  take  and  kill  Grettir. 

One  day,  when  Grettir  was  out  on  the  moor,  he 
saw  a large  body  of  armed  men  riding  towards  the 
lake.  He  had  time  to  fly  to  a hill  that  rises  at  a 
little  distance,  where  there  is  a rift  in  the  rock  that 
traverses  the  top  of  the  hill.  When  I read  the 
account  in  the  saga  I could  not  quite  understand 
Avhat  follows,  but  no  sooner  was  I on  the  spot  than 
all  appeared  quite  clear.  One  could  see,  at  once, 
that  Grettir,  taken  by  surprise,  would  run  to  this 
very  spot  and  no  other.  It  was  the  nearest  available 
place  of  vantage,  with  stone  and  crag.  The  situation 
was  not  the  best  that  might  have  been  chosen,  as  it 
left  Grettir’s  back  unprotected ; however,  he  had  no 
time  to  seek  a better. 

Thorir  came  with  his  men  to  the  bottom  of  the 
hill,  and  shouted  to  Grettir  and  taunted  him. 

Grettir  replied,  “ Though  you  may  have  put  the 
spoon  to  your  lips  you  have  not  swallowed  the 
broth.” 

Then  Thorir  egged  on  his  men  to  go  up  the  slope 
at  Grettir,  but  this  was  not  easy.  It  was  steep,  and 


ON  THE  GREAT  EAGLE  LAKE.  I99 

the  rocks  were  close  on  either  side  so  that  Grettir 
could  not  be  surrounded.  Only  one  man  could  get 
at  him  from  before  at  once.  Several  attempts  were 
made,  but  all  failed ; some  of  the  assailants  were 
killed,  some  wounded.  Then  Thorir  broke  up  his 
party' into  two,  and  sent  one  detachment  round  to 
the  back  of  the  rocks,  to  fall  on  Grettir  from  behind. 
Grettir  saw  the  maneuver,  and  did  not  see  how  to 
meet  it.  All  he  could  do  would  be  to  sell  his  life 
dearly.  He  could  not  hold  out  long  when  assailed 
simultaneously  from  before  and  behind. 

Thorir  bade  the  attack  slacken  till  he  thought 
those  sent  to  the  rear  would  be  ready,  and  then  he 
ordered  a grand,  and,  as  he  believed,  a combined 
assault.  Grettir  fought  with  desperation,  expecting 
every  moment  to  be  cut  down  from  behind,  but  to 
his  surprise  and  that  of  Thorir  he  was  left  unmo- 
lested in  the  rear. 

Thorir  called  off  his  men,  and  went  round  the  hill 
to  inquire  why  the  attack  from  behind  had  not  taken 
place.  To  his  amazement  he  came  on  a discomfited 
party  bleeding,  faint,  and  baffled,  and  to  find  that 
twelve  men  had  fallen  in  it.1 

2 At  the  time,  or  rather  shortly  after  I had  been  on  the  spot, 
I wrote,  “ There  is  a nook  like  a sentry-box  in  the  side  of  the 
cleft,  and  it  was  in  this  that  Hallmund  ensconced  himself,  so 
that  he  could  hew  down  any  one  who  attempted  to  pass  through 
this  cleft  to  get  at  Grettir’s  back,  whilst  remaining  himself 
screened  from  observation.  I could  not  understand  the  saga 
account  before  I saw  the  spot,  and  how  it  was  that  those  at- 
tacking Grettir  from  behind  did  not  see  Hallmund.  The  sight 
of  the  place  made  all  plain.” 


200 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


Then  he  bade  a retreat.  “ Oft,”  he  said,  “ have  I 
heard  that  Grettir  is  a man  of  marvel  for  prowess, 
but  I never  knew  before  that  he  was  a wizard,  and 
able  to  kill  as  many  at  his  back  as  he  does  in  front 
of  him.” 

When  he  numbered  his  men,  Thorir  found  that  he 
had  lost  eighteen.  Then  he  and  his  retinue  rode 
away,  and  they  carried  on  them  many  and  grievous 
wounds. 

Now  Grettir  was  no  less  perplexed  with  the  event 
than  was  Thorir,  and  when  the  latter  had  withdrawn 
he  went  through  the  rift  in  the  rocks  to  see  why  he 
had  not  been  fallen  on  from  the  rear, — and  he  lighted 
on  a tall  strong  man  leaning  against  the  rocks,  sore 
wounded. 

Grettir  asked  his  name,  and  the  tall  man  replied 
that  he  was  Hallmund. 

“ Do  you  remember  meeting  me  on  the  heath  one 
day  ? ” asked  the  wounded  man,  “ when  you  tried  to 
stop  my  horse,  and  I pulled  the  reins  through  your 
hands  so  as  to  skin  the  palms  ? Then  I promised  if 
I had  the  chance  to  back  you  up.” 

“ Indeed,”  said  Grettir,  much  moved,  “ I remember 
that  right  well,  and  now  I thank  you  with  all  my 
heart,  for  this  day  you  have  saved  my  life.”  • 

Then  Hallmund  said,  “ You  must  now  come  with 
me,  for  time  must  drag  with  you  solitary  here  on  the 
heath.” 

Grettir  said  he  was  glad  to  accept  the  offer  ; so 
they  went  together  south  to  the  Ball-jokull,  and 
there  Hallmund  had  a great  cave,  and  his  daughter, 


ON  THE  GREAT  EAGLE  LAKE.  201 

a big  muscular  girl,  lived  there  with  him ; there  the 
girl  applied  plasters  to  the  wounds  of  her  father  and 
healed  him. 

Grettir  remained  with  them  in  the  cave  all  the 
ensuing  summer.  But  when  summer  came  to  an 
end,  he  wearied  of  being  so  long  in  the  desert,  and 
longed  to  see  and  be  with  his  fellow-men  in  inhabited 
parts  once  more  ; so  he  bade  farewell  to  Hallmund, 
and  went  away  to  the  west  to  Hit-dale  that  opens  on 
the  Marshland,  through  which  six  or  seven  large 
rivers  flow.  Here  he  had  a friend  named  Biorn  liv- 
ing at  Holm. 


202 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTEE  XXYIII. 

ON  THE  FELL. 

Bioen  when  asked  by  Grettir  to  give  him  shelter 
declined  to  do  so,  not  that  the  will  was  lacking,  but 
that  he  had  not  the  power  to  protect  him.  “ You 
have  made,”  he  said.  “ enemies  on  all  sides,  and  if  I 
were  to  take  you  under  my  roof  all  your  enemies 
would  become  mine  also,  and  I would  be  involved 
in  endless  and  bitter  quarrels.  I cannot  give  you 
direct  assistance  and  shelter,  but  indirectly  I will  do 
what  I can  for  you.  There  is  a long  hill,  called 
Fair  wood  Fell,  that  runs  in  front  of  my  house  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  ends  just  above  the 
marshes.  Now,  in  one  place  there  is  a steep  shale 
slide,  and  above  this  is  a hollow  through  the  mountain, 
that  might  very  well  be  made  into  a dry  and  com- 
fortable place  of  abode.  From  the  entrance  every 
one  who  passes  along  the  highway,  all  who  come 
across  the  marshes,  can  be  seen.  I can  supply  you 
with  a few  necessaries  to  fit  the  place  up,  but  when 
there  you  must  shift  for  yourself.  I must  not  risk 
too  much  by  supporting  you.” 

Grettir  consented  to  this.  So  he  went  up  to 


ON  THE  FELL. 


203 


Fairwood  Fell  and  built  up  the  cave,  and  hung  gray 
wadmal  before  the  entrance,  so  that  no  one  below 
could  notice  that  there  was  anything  peculiar  or  any- 
one living  there.  In  this  eagle’s  nest  among  the 
rocks  Grettir  spent  the  time  from  the  autumn  of 
1022  to  the  spring  of  1024,  that  is,  two  winters. 
Whatever  fuel  he  wanted,  all  he  had  to  eat,  every 
thing  he  wanted,  had  to  be  carried  up  this  slippery 
and  steep  ascent  by  him.  Down  the  shale  slide  he 
came  when  short  of  provisions,  and  went  over  the 
marshes  to  this  or  that  farm  and  demanded  or  carried 
off,  sometimes  a sheep,  sometimes  curds,  dried  fish, 
in  a word  what  he  required  ; and  a very  great  nui- 
sance the  men  of  the  district  found  him.  Heartily 
did  they  wish  they  were  rid  of  him,  yet  they  could 
not  drive  him  from  his  place  of  abode,  for  it  was  so 
difficult  of  access  and  so  easy  of  defense. 

Now,  some  years  ago,  in  the  summer  of  1862, 
the  year  after  I was  in  Iceland,  a very  similar  lair 
which  Grettir  inhabited  a little  later  in  the  east  of 
Iceland  was  explored  by  an  Icelandic  farmer.  This 
is  his  description  of  it : The  lair  stands  in  the  lower 

part  of  a slip  of  stones  beneath  some  sheer  rocks. 
It  is  built  up  of  stones,  straight  as  a line  4f  ells  long 
and  10  inches  wide,  and  is  within  the  walls  $ of  an  ell 
deep.  Half  of  it  is  roofed  over  with  flat  stones, 
small  thin  splinters  of  stone  are  wedged  in  between 
these  to  fill  up  the  joints,  and  these  are  so  firmly 
fixed  that  they  could  not  be  removed  without  tools. 
One  stone  in  the  south  wall  is  so  large  that  it  requires 
six  men  to  move  it.  The  north  wall  is  beginning  to 


204 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


give  way.  On  the  outside  the  walls  are  overgrown 
with  black  lichen  and  gray  moss.” 

Something  like  this  was  the  den  of  Grettir  on  the 
Fairwood  Fell,  but  it  was  less  built  up,  as  he  had  the 
natural  rock  for  two  of  the  sides  and  for  the  roof. 

"Whilst  Grettir  was  there,  there  came  a ship  into 
harbor,  in  which  was  a man  named  Gisli,  a merchant, 
very  fond  of  wearing  smart  clothes,  and  an  inordi-  ' 
nately  vain  man.  He  heard  the  farmers  talking  about 
Grettir,  and  what  a vexation  it  was  to  them  to  have 
him  in  their  neighborhood. 

“ Don’t  talk  to  me  about  Grettir,”  said  Gisli ; “ I’ve 
had  battles  with  harder  men  than  he.  I hope  he 
may  come  in  my  way,  that  I may  dress  his  skin  for 
him.” 

The  farmer  to  whom  he  said  this  shook  his  head. 

“ You  don’t  know  of  whom  you  are  speaking.  If  you 
were  to  kill  him  you  would  be  well  off, — six  marks 
of  silver  were  set  on  his  head,  and  Thorir  of  Garth 
has  added  three  more,  so  that  there  stand  on  him 
nine  marks  of  silver.” 

“ All  things  can  be  done  for  money,”  said  Gisli ; 

“ and  as  I am  a merchant  I’ll  see  to  it.  And  when 
we  meet — I’ll  dress  his  skin  for  him.” 

The  farmer  said  it  would  be  well  not  to  talk  about 
the  matter.  Gisli  agreed.  “ I will  abide  this  winter 
in  Snowfell-ness,”  he  said.  “ If  his  lair  is  on  my  road 
thither  I’ll  look  out  for  him,  and  dress  his  skin  as  I 
go  along.” 

Now,  whether  he  talked  in  spite  of  the  caution 
given  him,  or  whether  some  one  overheard  what  he 


ON  THE  FELL. 


205 

said,  who  was  a friend  of  Biorn  of  Holm,  is  uncertain. 
Anyhow  Gisli’s  threat  reached  the  ears  of  Biorn, 
who  at  once  warned  Grettir  to  be  on  his  guard 
against  the  merchant. 

“ If  he  comes  your  way,”  said  Biorn,  “ teach  him  a 
lesson ; but  don’t  kill  him.” 

“ No,”  said  Grettir  with  a grim  smile,  “ I ’ll  mere- 
ly dress  his  skin  for  him.” 

Now  it  happened  one  day  that  Grettir  was  look- 
ing out  of  the  entrance  to  his  lair,  when  he  saw  a man 
with  two  attendants  riding  along  the  highway.  His 
kirtle  was  of  scarlet,  and  his  helmet  and  shield  flash- 
ed in  the  sun.  Then  it  occurred  to  him  that  this 
must  be  the  dandified  Gisli,  of  whom  he  had  heard, 
so  he  came  running  down  the  shale  descent  to  the 
road.  He  reached  the  man,  and  at  once  he  went  to 
his  horse,  clapped  his  hand  on  a bundle  of  clothes 
behind  the  saddle,  and  said,  “ This  I am  going  to 
take.” 

“ Nay,  not  so,”  answered  Gisli,  for  it  was  he. 
“ You  do  not  know  whom  you  are  addressing.” 

“ Nor  do  I care,”  said  Grettir.  “ I have  little 
respect  for  persons.  I am  in  poor  and  lowly  con- 
dition myself,  so  low  that  I am  driven  to  be  a high- 
way robber.” 

Then  Gisli  drew  his  sword,  and  called  to  his  men 
to  attack  Grettir,  who  gave  way  a little  before  them. 
But  he  soon  saw  that  Gisli  kept  behind  his  servants, 
and  never  risked  himself  where  the  blows  fell ; so 
Grettir  put  the  two  churls  aside  with  well-dealt 
strokes,  and  went  direct  upon  the  merchant,  who 


2o6 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


seeing  that  he  was  menaced,  turned  and  took  to  his 
heels.  Grettir  pursued  him,  and  Gisli  in  his  fear 
cast  aside  his  shield,  then,  a little  further,  threw 
away  his  helmet,  and  so  as  he  ran  he  cast  away  one 
thing  after  another  that  he  had  with  him.  There 
was  a heavy  purse  of  silver  at  his  girdle.  This 
encumbered  him,  and  as  he  ran  he  unbuckled  his 
belt  and  dropped,  it  and  the  purse  with  it.  Grettir 
did  not  purposely  come  up  with  him  ; he  could  have 
outstripped  him  had  he  willed,  but  he  let  the  fellow 
run  a couple  of  horse  lengths  before  him.  The  end 
of  the  Fell  is  above  an  old  lava  bed  that  has  flowed 
from  a crater  called  Eldborg  or  the  Castle  of  Fire, 
and  like  an  old  ruined  castle  it  looks.  Gisli  ran  over 
this  lava  bed,  jumping  the  cracks,  then  dived  through 
a wood  of  birch  that  intervened  between  the  lava  and 
the  river  Haf.  The  stream  was  swollen  with  ice,  and 
ill  to  ford.  Gisli  halted  hesitating  before  plunging 
in,  and  that  allowed  Grettir  to  run  in  on  him,  seize 
him  and  throw  him  down. 

“ Are  you  the  Gisli  who  were  so  eager  to  meet 
Grettir  Asmund ’s  son  ? ” asked  the  outlaw. 

“ I have  had  enough  of  him,”  gasped  the  fallen 
man.  “ Keep  my  saddle-bags  and  what  I have 
thrown  away,  and  let  me  go  free.” 

“ Hardly  yet,”  said  Grettir  grimly.  “ I think 
something  was  said  about  skin-dressing,  that  is  not 
to  be  overlooked.” 

Then  Grettir  drew  him  back  to  the  wood,  took  a 
good  handful  of  birch  rods,  pulled  Gisli’s  clothes  up 
over  his  head,  and  laid  the  twigs  against  his  back  in 


ON  THE  FELL. 


207 


none  of  the  gentlest  fashion.  Gisli  danced  and 
skipped  about,  but  Grettir  had  him  by  his  garments 
twisted  about  his  head  and  neck,  and  continued  to 
flog  till  the  poor  fellow  threw  himself  down  on  the 
ground  screaming.  Then  Grettir  let  go,  and  went 
quietly  back  to  his  lair,  picking  up  as  he  went  the 
purse  and  the  belt,  the  shield,  casque,  and  whatever 
else  Gisli  had  thrown  away,  also  he  had  the  contents 
of  his  saddle-bags. 

Gisli  never  came  back  to  Fair  wood  Fell  to  ask  for 
them.  When  he  got  on  his  legs  he  ran  up  the  river 
to  where  it  was  not  so  dangerous,  swam  it,  and 
reached  a farmhouse,  where  he  entreated  to  be  taken 
in.  There  he  lay  a week  with  his  body  swollen  and 
striped  ; after  which  he  went  home,  and  much  was 
he  laughed  at  for  his  adventure  with  Grettir. 


20,8 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  RIVER. 

Now,  whilst  Grettir  was  on  Fair  wood  Fell,  fav- 
ored by  Biorn  of  Hit-dale,  his  presence  after  a while 
became  unendurable  to  the  bonders  who  lived  in  the 
marshes.  He  had  been  for  two  winters  in  his  den  on 
the  hill,  and  when  they  saw  that  he  intended  to  re- 
main there  a third  winter,  and  rob  them  of  sheep  and 
whatever  he  needed,  then  they  took  counsel  together 
how  they  might  rid  themselves  of  the  annoyance. 

One  day  in  the  winter  of  1023,  Grettir  came  down 
from  his  place  of  vantage,  and  went  over  the 
marshes  to  a farm  called  Acres,  and  drove  away 
from  it  two  bullocks  fit  for  slaughtering,  and  several 
sheep,  and  he  had  got  on  with  them  some  way  over 
the  marshes,  on  his  way  to  his  lair,  before  the  far- 
mer at  Acres  was  aware  of  his  loss  ; he  had  taken 
six  wethers  beside  from  another  farm  named  Brook- 
bend.  This  angered  the  farmers  greatly,  and  they 
sent  a message  to  the  chief  man  of  the  district, 
Thord  at  Hitness,  and  urged  him  to  waylay  Grettir 
before  he  could  reach  his  den.  Thord  shrank  from 
doing  anything ; however,  they  pressed  him  so  much 
that  at  last  he  consented  to  let  his  son  Arnor  go 


THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  RIVER.  209 

with  them.  Then  messengers  were  sent  throughout 
all  the  country  side,  to  every  farmer  who  was  con- 
cerned. And  it  was  so  planned  that  two  bodies  of 
men  should  march  to  the  taking  of  Grettir,  one  on 
the  right,  the  other  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Hit 
River,  so  as  to  take  him  for  certain. 

Grettir  was  soon  aware  that  the  country  was 
roused.  He  was  not  alone,  he  had  two  men  wTith 
him — one  the  son  of  the  farmer  at  Fairwood  Fell, 
with  whom  he  was  on  good  terms,  the  other  a farm- 
servant.  They  advised  him  to  desert  the  cattle  and 
sheep  and  run  for  it,  cross  the  river  and  take  re- 
fuge in  his  place  of  vantage ; but  this  Grettir  was 
too  proud  to  do. 

Presently  he  could  see  coming  on  behind  him  a 
large  band  of  men,  about  twenty  in  all,  under  Thor- 
arin  of  Acres  and  Thorfin  of  Brookbend.  Now,  as 
these  were  pursuing  him  over  the  marshes,  up  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  came  Arnor,  the  son  of 
Thord  of  Hitness,  and  with  him  a farmer  named 
Biarni  of  Jorvi. 

Grettir  managed  to  reach  the  river  before  his 
enemies  came  up  with  him,  and  he  had  also  time  to 
secure  a place  of  vantage.  This  was  a ness  of  rock 
that  ran  out  into  the  river,  or  round  which  the  river 
swept,  so  that  he  was  protected  by  the  water  on  all 
sides  but  one.  Grettir  said  to  the  two  men  with 
him,  that  they  must  guard  his  back,  see  that  none 
came  up  the  sides  in  his  rear,  and  then  he  took  his 
short-sword  in  both  his  hands,  planted  his  feet  wide 
apart  on  the  rock,  and  prepared  to  sell  his  life  dear. 
14 


210 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


The  party  headed  by  Thorarin  of  Acres  and 
Thorfin  of  Brookbend  came  up,  twenty  in  all, — but 
more  were  coming,  for  Thorarin  had  begun  the  pur- 
suit before  all  the  farmers  were  collected,  and  he 
knew  that  a body  of  some  twenty  or  thirty  more 
would  arrive  before  long.  Thorarin  himself  was  an 
old  man,  and  he  did  not  enter  into  the  fray,  but 
urged  on  his  men. 

The  fight  was  hard.  Grettir  was  not  easily 
reached  where  he  stood,  and  he  smote  at  all  who 
approached.  Some  of  the  Marshmen  fell,  and 
several  were  wounded.  In  vain  did  they  attempt 
to  dislodge  him  by  combined  rushes,  he  drove  them 
over  the  edge  into  the  water,  or  cut  them  down  with 
his  sword.  At  last  his  arm  was  weary,  and  he 
called  to  the  farmer’s  son  to  step  into  his  place.  He 
did  so,  and  held  the  ground  valiantly,  whilst  Grettir 
rested.  Then  the  party  drew  back,  discomfited.  At 
that  moment  up  came  the  fresh  body  of  men  under 
Thrand,  the  brother  of  Thorarin  of  Acres,  and  Stone- 
wolf  of  Lavadale.  These  egged  on  their  men  eagerly, 
and  they  thought  they  would  obtain  an  easy  victory, 
for  Grettir  had  been  fightingfor  some  time,  and  was 
weary. 

Then  Thorarin  of  Acres  called  out  and  advised 
delay. 

“ For,”  said  he,  “ the  third  party  of  men  under 
Arnor  and  Biarni  of  Jorvi  have  not  come  up  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.” 

This  piece  of  advice  was  rejected  by  the  new- 
comers. What  did  they  want  with  more  men  ? 


THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  RIVER.  21 1 

They  were  a large  party,  fresh  and  untired,  and 
Grettir  had  but  two  men  with  him,  and  they  were 
wearied  with  fighting.  So  the  signal  was  given  for 
the  onslaught. 

Then  Grettir  saw  that  he  must  either  jump  into 
the  river,  swim  across,  and  desert  the  sheep  and 
bullocks  he  had  driven  there,  or  use  almost  super- 
human exertions  to  defend  himself. 

His  position  was,  indeed,  desperate ; for,  even  if  he 
did  hold  his  own  against  this  second  body  of  men,  a 
third  was  on  its  way  up  the  other  bank  of  the  river 
to  intercept  him  on  his  way  up  to  the  Fell.  For  one 
moment  he  hesitated,  and  then  was  resolved.  No, 
he  would  not  run.  He  would  die  there,  and  die  only 
after  having  strewn  the  ground  with  his  foes.  Fore- 
most among  his  assailants  was  Stonewolf  of  Lava- 
dale,  and  Grettir  made  a sudden  rush  at  him,  and 
with  a tremendous  stroke  of  his  sword  he  clove  his 
head  down  to  the  shoulders.  Thrand,  who  sprang 
forward  to  avenge  him,  Grettir  struck  on  the  thigh, 
and  the  blow  took  off  all  the  muscle,  and  he  fell, 
crippled  for  life.  Then  Grettir  fell  back  to  his 
place  of  safety,  and  dared  others  to  come  on.  They 
sprang  out  on  the  neck  of  rock,  but  would  not  meet 
his  weapon,  one  after  another  fell  or  was  beaten 
back. 

Then  Thorarin  cried  out,  and  bade  all  draw  off. 

“ The  longer  ye  fight,”  said  he,  “ the  worse  ye 
fare.  He  picks  out  what  men  among  you  he 
chooses.” 

The  party  withdrew,  and  there  were  ten  men  fal- 


212 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


len,  and  five  had  received  mortal  wounds,  or  were 
crippled ; and  hardly  one  of  the  two  parties  was 
without  some  hurt  or  other. 

Grettir,  moreover,  was  marvelously  wearied,  but 
had  received  no  wounds  to  speak  of. 

Now,  hardly  had  the  men  withdrawn,  carrying 
their  dead  and  wounded,  than  up  came  the  third 
detachment  under  Arnor  and  Biarni,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  There  can  be  no  question  but  that, 
had  they  crossed  and  fallen  on  Grettir,  he  could  not 
have  defended  himself  longer,  so  overcome  was  he 
with  weariness  ( but  Arnor  knew  that  his  father  had 
entered  on  the  matter  reluctantly,  and  he  was  dis- 
couraged by  the  ill-success  of  the  other  companies. 
Consequently,  he  neither  waded  through  the  river 
at  the  ford,  a little  higher,  nor  did  he  maintain  his 
ground  and  cut  off  Grettir’s  retreat.  Instead,  he 
withdrew  with  all  his  men,  and  left  Grettir  to  re- 
cover his  strength,  and  cross  and  escape  to  the  Fell. 
This  conduct  of  Arnor  provoked  much  comment; 
and  he  was  accused  of  cowardice,  an  accusation  that 
clung  to  him  through  life.  Even  his  father  rebuked 
him,  for  the  father  saw  what  discredit  he  had  brought 
upon  himself. 

The  point  on  the  river  Hit  where  this  affray  took 
place  is  still  shown  ; and  is  called  Grettir’s- point  to 
this  day. 

When  the  fight  was  over  Grettir  and  the  two  men 
went  to  the  Fell,  and  as  they  passed  the  farm  the 
farmer’s  daughter  came  out  of  the  door,  and  asked 
for  tidings. 


THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  RIVER. 


213 


Then  Grettir  sang  : — 

“ Brewer  of  strong  barley  corn, 
Pourer  forth  of  drinking-horn, 
Lo  ! to-day  the  Stonewolf  fell, 
Ne’er  again  his  head  be  well. 
Many  more  have  got  their  bane, 
Many  in  their  blood  lie  slain  ; 
Little  life  has  Thorgils  now, 
After  that  bone-breaking  blow. 
Eight  upon  the  river’s  bank 
In  their  gore  expiring  sank.” 


214 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

A MYSTERIOUS  VALE. 

In  the  spring  of  1024  Grettir  went  away  from 
Fair  wood  Fell ; for  he  had  been  there  so  long,  and 
had  preyed  for  such  a time  on  the  bonders  of  the 
marshes,  that  he  himself  saw  that  it  would  be  best 
for  him  to  remove  into  quite  another  part  of  the  is- 
land. So  he  visited  his  friend  Hallmund  once  more, 
under  the  ice  of  Ball-jokull,  and  Hallmund  advised 
him  where  to  go.  He  could  not  give  him  hospitality 
himself  that  winter,  because  his  stock  of  goods  was 
run  so  short  that  it  would  hardly  suffice  for  his 
daughter  and  himself ; but  he  told  him  of  a valley 
unknown  to  any  one,  save  a friend  of  his  called 
Thorir  and  himself.  And  he  informed  him  how  it 
was  to  be  reached. 

Now,  as  already  said,  there  are  passes  in  Iceland 
between  the  several  blocks  of  ice  mountains,  and 
such  a pass  exists  between  Goatland-jokull  and  a 
curious  domed  snowy  mountain  called  Ok.  The  pass 
is  called  the  Cold  Dale,  because  it  lies  for  many  hours 
ride  between  ice  mountains,  and  under  the  precipi- 
tous Goatland-jokull,  whose  rocks  are  crowned  with 
green  ice  that  falls  over  incessantly  in  great  ava- 


A MYSTERIOUS  VALE. 


215 

lanches.  It  is  seven  hours’  ride  from  one  blade  of 
grass  to  another  through  that  dale.  I went  through 
it  on  midsummer-day,  and  saw  the  bones  of  horses 
lying  about  that  had  died  unable  to  get  through ; 
perhaps  becoming  lame  or  exhausted  on  the  way. 

Half  through  this  long  trough  of  the  Cold  Dale 
stands  up  a buttress  of  rock,  or  rather  a sort  of  ness, 
projecting  from  Goatland-jokull,  so  precipitous  that 
hardly  any  snow  rests  on  it,  and  this  is  called  the 
Half-way  Fell. 

Now,  Hallmund  told  Grettir  he  must  go  through 
the  Cold  Dale  till  he  reached  the  Half-way  Fell, 
and  there  he  must  strike  up  over  the  snow  and 
glaciers  of  Goatland-jokull,  due  south,  and  he  Avould 
all  at  once  drop  into  a valley  known  to  few. 

So  Grettir  went  up  the  moor  till  he  struck  the 
"White  River,  that  flowed  out  of  the  Eagle  Lakes  he 
knew  so  well,  and  under  the  cliffs  and  icy  crown  of 
Erick’s-jokull,  then  he  climbed  over  broken  trachyte 
rocks  for  several  hundreds  of  feet,  till  he  found  him- 
self in  the  Cold  Dale,  and  along  that  he  trudged  till 
he  had  reached  Half-way  Fell,  standing  up  like  a 
wall  as  though  to  stop  the  pass.  There  he  turned 
to  the  left,  and  as  at  this  point  Goatland  is  no  longer 
precipitous,  but  slopes  in  a series  of  steps  to  the 
Cold  Dale,  he  climbed  up  through  the  snow,  a long 
and  tedious  ascent,  till  he  stood  on  the  neck  of  the 
mountain,  and  there  he  saw  that  the  snow  slopes 
fell  away  rapidly  to  the  south,  and  he  descended 
and  soon  beheld  before  him  a valley  in  which  were 
a great  many  boiling  springs  that  threw  up  clouds 


2l6 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


of  steam,  and  he  saw  also,  what  greatly  pleased  him, 
that  there  was  rich  and  abundant  grass  in  this  valley. 
This  is  what  the  saga  says : “ The  dale  was  long 
and  somewhat  narrow,  locked  up  by  glaciers  all 
round,  in  such  a manner  that  the  ice  walls  overhung 
the  dale.  He  scrambled  down  into  it,  as  best  he 
could,  and  there  he  saw  fair  hillsides  grass-grown 
and  set  with  bushes.  Hot  springs  were  there,  and 
it  appeared  to  him  that  it  was  the  earthfires  which 
prevented  the  ice  walls  from  closing  in  on  the  valley. 
A little  river  ran  down  the  dale,  with  level  banks. 
The  sun  rarely  shone  into  the  valley  ; but  the  num- 
ber of  sheep  there  could  hardly  be  reckoned,  they 
were  so  many  ; and  nowhere  had  he  seen  any  so  fat 
and  in  such  good  condition.” 

Grettir  did  not  see  Thorir,  Hallmund’s  friend,  at 
first ; so  he  built  himself  a hut  of  such  wood  as  he 
could  get,  and  with  turf.  He  killed  the  sheep  he 
wanted,  and  found  that  there  was  more  meat  on  one 
of  them  than  on  two  elsewhere. 

The  Saga  says  : — 

“ There  was  one  ewe  there,  brown  mottled,  with 
a lamb,  and  she  was  a beauty.  Grettir  killed  the 
lamb,  and  took  three  stone  of  suet  off  it,  the  meat 
was  some  of  the  best  he  had  ever  eaten.  But  when 
the  mottled  ewe  missed  her  lamb,  she  went  up  on 
Grettir’s  hut  every  night,  and  bleated  so  plaintively 
as  to  trouble  his  sleep,  and  made  Grettir  quite 
troubled  that  he  had  killed  her  lamb.” 

How  Grettir  noticed  that  at  evening  the  sheep 
ran  in  one  direction,  and  once  or  twice  he  heard  a 


A MYSTERIOUS  VALE. 


217 


call ; so  he  went  after  the  sheep  one  evening,  and 
was  led  by  them  to  the  hut  where  Thorir  dwelt. 
He  was  a strange  man,  who  had  spent  so  many  years 
away  from  the  society  of  his  fellow-men  as  not  to 
care  any  more  to  meet  them,  so  he  did  not  welcome 
Grettir  very  warmly.  However  he  had  three  daugh- 
ters, and  they  were  glad  to  have  some  one  to  talk 
to,  and  as  the  winter  crept  on  Thorir  himself  be- 
came more  amiable,  and  so  the  winter  did  not  pass 
as  drearily  as  Grettir  had  feared  it  would.  He  sang 
his  songs  and  related  stories,  and  the  party  played 
draughts  with  knuckle-bones  of  sheep. 

When  spring  came,  however,  he  was  fain  to  go ; 
and  he  did  not  leave  by  the  way  he  came,  but  fol- 
lowed the  little  river,  and  it  led  him  out  between 
rock  and  glaciers  into  a piece  of  desert,  covered  with 
lava  beds  that  have  poured  out  of  a volcano,  or 
rather  two  that  stand  opposite  this  entrance  to 
Thorir’s  valley.  These  two  volcanoes  are  quite  un- 
like each  other,  though  side  by  side,  one,  called 
Hlothu-fell  has  upright  walls,  like  Erick’s-jokull,  and 
a crater  filled  up  and  brimming  over  with  ice  ; but 
the  other  Skialdbreith,  or  the  Broad-shield,  is  like 
a conical  round  silver  shield  laid  on  the  ground. 
The  entrance  to  Thorir’s  Dale  is  completely  hidden 
by  a round  snowy  mountain  that  blocks  it,  and  then 
a second  snowy  mountain  stands  further  out  in  front 
of  the  opening,  so  that  not  a sign  of  any  valley  can 
be  seen  from  anywhere. 

So  difficult  did  Grettir  think  it  would  be  to  find 
it,  that  he  ascended  on  Broad-shield  and  set  up  a 


2l8 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


stone  there  with  a hole  in  it,  so  that  any  one  looking 
through  this  hole  would  see  directly  into  the  narrow 
entrance  of  Thorir’s  Dale.  This  stone  still  stands 
where  Grettir  had  placed  it ; but  has  sunk  on  one  side, 
so  that  by  looking  through  the  hole  the  eye  is  no 
longer  directed  to  the  entrance. 

No  one  had  ever  visited  Thorir’s  Dale  since  Grettir 
left  it  till  the  year  1654,  when  it  was  explored  by 
two  Icelandic  clergymen,  and  an  account  of  their  ex- 
pedition in  Icelandic  is  to  be  found  in  the  British 
Museum.1  The  valley  as  far  as  I know  has  not  been 
explored  since.  It  is  marked  on  the  map  of  Iceland, 
but  apparently  from  the  description  left  by  the  two 
clergymen,  not  from  any  visit  made  to  it  by  the  map- 
maker. 

When  the  two  men  visited  the  valley  they  went 
to  it  in  the  same  way  as  did  Grettir.  They  found  no 
hot  springs,  and  the  valley  was  utterly  barren ; but 
then  they  had  no  time  to  descend  it,  they  only  looked 
down  on  it  from  above.  They  found  the  cave  with 
a door,  and  a window  to  it,  which  was  probably  the 
habitation  of  Thorir  and  his  daughters. 

1 1 have  given  a translation  of  it  in  my  Curiosities  of  Olden 
Times,  London,  Hayes,  1869. 


THE  DEATH  OF  HALLMUND. 


219 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  DEATH  OF  HALLMUND. 

Now,  there  was  a man  called  Grim,  who  was  an 
outlaw  for  his  ill-deeds,  and  he  thought  that  as 
Grettir  no  longer  abode  in  his  hut  on  the  Eagle 
Lake,  he  might  go  there  and  occupy  it.  This  did 
not  please  Hallmund,  for  Grettir  had  left  him  his 
nets,  and  he  was  wont  to  fish  in  the  lake. 

Grim  had  supplied  himself  with  nets,  and  he  one 
day  caught  a hundred  char,  large  red-fleshed  fish, 
delicious  eating ; so  he  piled  them  up  outside  his  hut. 
Next  morning  to  his  great  surprise  all  his  char  had 
disappeared.  Then  he  went  fishing  again,  and 
caught  even  more  fish,  and  he  brought  them  to  land, 
and  heaped  them  up  as  before. 

Next  morning  they  also  had  disappeared. 

He  could  not  understand  it ; so  he  fished  again, 
and  had  on  this  occasion  extraordinary  luck : he  must 
have  netted  nearly  three  hundred  fish.  He  brought 
them  home,  and  put  them  in  the  same  place  as  be- 
fore ; but  he  did  not  go  to  sleep  this  time : he  re- 
mained within,  and  watched  his  store  though  a 
peep-hole  in  the  door. 

During  the  night  he  heard  some  one  who  trod 


220 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


heavily  coming  along  the  ness,  and  then  he  saw  a 
man  picking  up  his  fish,  and  putting  them  into  a 
basket  he  had  on  his  back.  Grim  watched  till  he 
had  filled  the  basket,  which  he  now  heaved  upon  his 
shoulders.  Instantly  Grim  threw  open  the  door, 
rushed  out,  and  whilst  the  man  was  still  stooping 
adjusting  his  load,  he  swung  up  a very  sharp  axe  he 
held,  holding  it  in  both  hands,  and  smote  at  the  man’s 
neck.  The  axe  hit  the  basket,  and  that  somewhat 
broke  its  force,  but  it  glanced  aside  and  sank  into 
the  shoulder.  Then  the  man  started  aside,  and  set 
off  running  with  the  basket  to  the  south,  skirting  a 
lava  field  that  had  flowed  out  of  Erick’s- jokull,  and 
which  now  goes  by  the  name  of  Hallmund’s  Lava-bed. 

Grim  ran  after  him,  and  saw  that  he  was  making 
for  Ball-jokull ; but  the  man,  who  was  of  great  size 
and  strength,  though  wounded  and  losing  blood,  ran 
on,  and  did  not  stay  till  he  reached  a cave  in  the 
face  of  the  cliff,  above  which  was  the  ice,  and  with 
long  icicles  hanging  over  the  front.  Into  this  he  en- 
tered. There  was  a fire  burning  inside,  and  a young 
woman  sitting  by  it. 

Grim  heard  her  welcome  the  man,  and  call  him 
her  father,  and  name  him  Hallmund.  He  cast  his 
basket  of  fish  down,  and  groaned  aloud. 

Then  the  girl  saw  that  blood  was  flowing  from 
him,  and  she  asked  him  what  had  happened. 

Hallmund  told  what  had  befallen  him,  and  said 
that  he  was  wounded  to  the  death,  and  that  he 
trusted  Grettir  would  avenge  him,  for  he  had  no 
other  friend  to  do  so. 


THE  DEATH  OF  HALLMUND.  221 

After  that  Hallmund  began  a lay,  and  sang  the 
history  of  his  life,  the  achievements  he  had  wrought, 
and  he  sang  on  till  his  breath  failed,  and  either  he 
was  unable  to  finish  his  lay,  or  Grim  could  not  re- 
member all  of  it.  A good  deal,  however,  of  Hall- 
mund’s  death-song  has  been  retained  and  is  given  in 
the  saga. 

But  Hallmund’s  hope  or  expectation  that  Grettir 
would  avenge  him  was  disappointed,  for  Grim  man- 
aged to  get  away  from  Iceland,  and  did  not  return 
to  it  again  during  the  lifetime  of  Grettir. 


222 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

OF  ANOTHER  ATTEMPT  AGAINST  GRETTIR. 

How,  during  the  summer,  tidings  came  to  Thorir 
of  Garth  that  Grettir  was  somewhere  about  on 
Reekheath  in  the  northeast.  There  was  his  lair 
which  was  examined  a few  years  ago,  and  which  re- 
mains in  tolerable  condition,  as  already  mentioned 
when  his  lair  at  Fairwood  Fell  was  described.  How, 
Thorir  of  Garth,  when  he  got  this  tidings  was  re- 
solved to  make  another  attempt  to  kill  him ; and  no 
wonder,  for  with  singular  audacity  Grettir  had  come 
into  his  neighborhood.  Grettir  no  doubt  thought 
that  he  had  preyed  long  enough  on  men  who  had 
not  harmed  him,  and  that  now  he  would  prey  on 
the  goods  and  cattle  of  the  man  who  had  made  an 
outlaw  of  him,  and  who  pursued  him  with  such  re- 
morseless hostility.  Thorir  gathered  a number  of 
men  together  and  went  in  pursuit  of  Grettir.  Gret- 
tir was  not  at  that  time  in  his  den  but  out  on  the 
moor,  and  he  was  near  a mountain-dairy  that  stood 
back  somewhat  from  the  wayside,  and  there  was 
another  man  with  him,  when  they  spied  the  party 
of  Thorir,  all  armed,  coming  along.  They  had  not 
been  observed,  so  they  hastily  led  their  horses  into 


OF  ANOTHER  ATTEMPT  AGAINST  GRETTIR.  223 

the  shed  attached  to  the  dairy,  and  concealed  them- 
selves. Thorir  came  along,  went  to  the  dairy, 
looked  about  to  see  if  anyone  Avere  there  Avho  could 
inform  him  if  Grettir  had  been  seen,  noticed  only  a 
couple  of  horses  tied  up,  but  supposed  they  belonged 
to  the  farmer  whose  summer  dairy  this  was,  and, 
without  looking  further,  went  on. 

As  soon  as  Thorir  and  his  band  had  gone  out  of 
sight,  Grettir  crept  from  his  place  of  hiding,  and 
said  to  his  companion : 

“ It  is  a pity  they  should  have  come  such  a ride  to 
see  me,  and  should  be  disappointed.  You  watch  the 
horses,  and  I Avill  go  on  and  have  a Avord  Avith  them.” 

“ You  surely  will  not  be  so  rash  ? ” exclaimed  the 
other  man. 

“ I cannot  let  them  come  all  this  Avay  Avithout  ex- 
changing words  Avith  me,”  said  Grettir,  and  leaving 
the  horses  under  the  care  of  his  comrade,  he  strode 
away  over  the  moor  to  a place  where  he  was  sure  he 
could  be  observed.  Noav,  Grettir  had  a slouched 
hat  on  and  a long  staff  in  his  hand,  and  at  the  dairy 
he  had  found  some  clothes  belonging  to  the  herds- 
man usually  there,  and  these  he  had  put  on.- 

Directly  Thorir  and  his  party  saAV  a man  with  a 
staff  striding  about  on  the  moor  they  rode  to  him. 
None  of  them  kneAV  Grettir’s  face,  for,  indeed,  they 
had  not  been  given  the  chance.  So  they  thought 
this  great  rough  man  Avas  the  herdsman,  and  they 
asked  him  if  he  had  seen  the  outlaAv  Grettir. 

“ What  sort  of  man  is  he  ? ” asked  Grettir.  “ Is 
he  armed  ? ” 


224 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


“ Armed  indeed  is  he,  with  a casque  on  his  head, 
a long  sword,  and  also  a short  one  in  his  girdle.” 

“ Is  he  riding  ? ” 

“ Most  certainly  he  is.” 

“Then,”  said  Grettir,  “ y ou  had  better  get  you 
along  after  him  due  south ; he  has  gone  that  way 
not  so  long  agone.” 

When  they  heard  this  Thorir  and  his  party  struck 
spurs  into  their  horses,  put  them  into  a gallop,  and 
away  they  went  as  hard  as  they  could  in  the  direc- 
tion indicated.  Now,  Grettir  knew  the  country 
very  well,  and  he  was  well  aware  that  south  of 
where  he  stood  were  impassable  bogs.  Thorir  and 
his  fellows  were  too  eager  in  pursuit  to  attend  to  the 
nature  of  the  ground  over  which  they  rode ; be- 
sides, they  thought  that  if  Grettir  had  ridden  that 
way  they  could  ride  it  as  well.  They  were  speedily 
mistaken,  for  in  they  floundered  into  a bottomless 
morass ; some  of  the  horses  were  in  to  their  saddles ; 
the  men  got  off  and  got  out  with  difficulty,  and  they 
had  much  ado  to  get  their  horses  out  at  all.  In- 
deed, some  were  wallowing  there  more  than  half 
the  day.  Many  curses  were  heaped  on  the  churl 
who  had  befooled  them,  but  they  could  not  find 
him  when  they  went  after  him  to  chastise  him. 

Grettir  hastened  back  to  the  dairy,  mounted  his 
horse,  and  rode  to  Garth  itself,  whilst  the  master 
was  floundering  in  the  bog.  As  he  came  to  the 
farm  he  saw  a tall,  well-dressed  girl  by  the  door, 
and  he  asked  who  she  was.  He  Avas  told  this  was 
Thorir’s  daughter.  Then  Grettir  sang  a stave  to 


OF  ANOTHER  ATTEMPT  AGAINST  GRETTIR.  225 

her,  the  meaning  of  which  was  that  he  who  came 
there  was  the  man  whom  Thorir  was  vainly  pur- 
suing. 

Much  laughter  was  occasioned  by  this  failure 
of  Thorir  to  take  Grettir  when  he  was  in  his  own 
neighborhood,  and  by  his  being  so  deceived  and 
befooled  by  Grettir  when  he  had  him  in  his  power. 

i5 


226 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW, 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

AT  SANDHEAPS. 

The  summer  was  passing  away,  and  Grettir  could 
not  remain  without  shelter  through  the  winter ; so 
he  considered  what  was  best  to  be  done.  He  could 
not  ask  any  farmer  in  the  northeast  to  shelter  him, 
because  they  were  all  afraid  of  Thorir  of  Garth, 
who  would  have  pursued  with  implacable  animosity 
the  man  who  befriended  and  housed  the  outlaw. 
Moreover,  Thorir  had  his  spies  everywhere,  and 
Grettir  found  he  had  to  shift  quarters  repeatedly  to 
escape  his  deadly  enemy. 

How,  when  the  first  snows  fell  Grettir  sent  his 
man  away  with  his  horses  across  country  to  Biarg, 
and  he  went  further  away  from  where  Thorir  was ; 
but  never  stayed  long  anywhere,  nor  gave  his  real 
name.  He  had  no  relatives  in  this  part  of  the 
island,  and  no  friends. 

How,  a little  before  Y ule- — that  is  Christmas — he 
came  to  a farm  called  Sandheaps,  on  that  river 
which  is  called  the  Quivering  Flood.  This  farm 
belonged  to  a widow  woman  called  Steinvor,  who 
had  recently  lost  her  husband. 

Grettir  came  and  offered  his  services ; he  said  his 


AT  SANDHEAPS. 


227 

name  was  Guest,  that  he  was  out  of  work,  and  that 
he  had  come  there  because  he  heard  she  was  short 
of  hands. 

Steinvor  looked  at  him,  and  saw  that  he  was  a 
very  powerfully-built  man,  and  that  there  was  a 
certain  dignity  and  nobility  in  his  face;  so  she 
accepted  him,  against  the  opinion  of  the  rest  in  the 
house,  who  were  frightened  at  the  appearance  of 
Grettir,  and  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  him, 
whether  he  were  an  ordinary  human  being  or  a wild 
man,  half  mountain-goblin  or  troll. 

It  came  to  pass  on  Christmas-eve  that  the  widow 
Steinvor  was  very  desirous  to  go  to  church,  but  the 
church  was  on  the  further  side  of  the  river,  and 
there  was  no  bridge. 

Grettir  heard  Steinvor  lament  that  she  could  not 
go  to  church,  so  he  said  bluntly  : “ You  can  go.  I 
will  attend  you  and  see  you  over  the  water.” 

Then  she  made  ready  for  worship,  and  took  her 
little  daughter  with  her.  Now,  at  times  the  river 
froze  hard  across,  and  then  it  was  possible  to  cross 
on  the  ice.  At  other  times  it  might  be  traversed  at 
a ford.  But  when  Grettir  came  to  the  side  of  the 
Quivering  Flood,  it  was  plain  to  him  that  by  the  ice 
the  water  could  not  be  crossed.  For  there  had  been 
a rapid  thaw,  and  now  the  river  was  overflowed  and 
very  full  of  water;  and,  moreover,  it  was  rolling 
down  great  masses  of  ice. 

When  Steinvor  saw  the  condition  of  the  river,  she 
said,  “ There  is  plainly  no  way  across  for  horse  or 
man.” 


228 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


“I  suppose  there  is  a ford  somewhere,”  said 
Grettir. 

“ Yes,”  answered  Steinvor,  “ there  is  a ford  at 
this  place ; but  I do  not  see  how  it  is  to  be  trav- 
ersed.” 

“ I will  carry  you  across,”  said  Grettir. 

“ Carry  over  the  little  maiden  first,”  said  the 
widow.  “ She  is  the  lightest.” 

“ I don’t  care  about  making  two  journeys  when 
one  will  suffice,”  answered  Grettir.  “ Come,  jump 
up  ; I will  carry  you  in  my  arms.” 

The  widow  crossed  herself,  and  said,  “ That  will 
never  do.  How  can  you  manage  such  a burden  ? ” 
But  without  more  ado  Grettir  caught  up  Steinvor 
on  his  arm,  and  then  he  picked  up  the  little  girl  and 
set  her  on  her  mother’s  lap,  and  strode  into  the 
water  ; they  were  on  his  left  arm,  but  he  kept  the 
right  free.  They  were  so  frightened  that  they  durst 
not  cry  out.  He  waded  on  in  the  river,  and  the 
water  foamed  up  to  his  breast ; and  then  he  saw  a 
great  ice-floe  coming  bearing  down  upon  him.  He 
put  out  his  right  hand,  gave  the  mass  of  ice  a thrust 
and  it  was  whirled  past  them  by  the  current.  Then 
he  waded  further,  and  the  water  washed  about  his 
shoulders,  and  that  was  the  deepest  point.  After 
that  the  river  shallowed,  and  he  bore  the  mother 
and  child  safely  to  the  shore  and  set  them  down. 

How  Grettir  turned  to  go  back,  and  he  took  up  a 
great  stone  and  set  it  on  his  head,  and  so  waded 
back.  If  he  had  tried  to  go  through  the  water 
without  a stone  he  would  have  been  washed  away  ; 


AT  SAND  HEAPS. 


229 


but  the  great  stone  on  his  head  enabled  him  to  stand 
firm  and  resist  the  current  of  the  water.  Those  who 
have  not  been  through  an  Icelandic  river  can  hardly 
imagine  the  intensity  of  the  cold.  I have  ridden 
through  these  rivers,  my  horse  swimming  under  me, 
and  when  I reached  the  further  side  have  thrown 
myself  off  and  lain  on  the  sand  for  a quarter  of  an 
hour  before  I could  recover  from  the  numbness 
caused  by  the  deadly  cold ; for  some  of  these  rivers 
are  as  broad  as  the  Thames  at  London  Bridge,  and 
the  water  is  milky  because  full  of  undissolved  snow. 

When  Steinvor  reached  the  church  every  one  was 
astonished  to  see  her,  and  asked  how  she  had  man- 
aged to  get  across  the  Quivering  Flood.  But  when 
the  priest  heard  the  story,  he  called  Steinvor  aside, 
and  said : 

“ Mind  and  do  not  say  too  much  about  your  new 
man ; do  not  talk  about  his  strength,  and  set  folk 
a-wondering  who  he  may  be.  I have  my  own 
opinion,  and  I think  you  will  do  well  to  house  him, 
and  say  nothing  to  an  yone  about  his  being  in  any 
way  remarkable.” 

And  now  there  comes  into  the  saga  of  Grettir  a 
story  which  is  certainly  untrue,  but  how  it  comes  in 
can  be  made  out  pretty  easily. 

The  real  truth  was,  as  the  saga  writer  confesses, 
that  Grettir  remained  hidden  at  Sandheaps  all  that 
winter,  and  no  one  in  the  country  round  knew  that 
he  was  there.  But  then,  the  saga  writer  did  not  feel 
satisfied  with  such  a dull  winter,  in  which  nothing 
happened  ; so,  to  fill  out  his  story  and  say  some- 


230 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


thing  interesting,  he  worked  into  his  history  a 
wonderful  tale.  The  story,  which  I tell  in  my  own 
words,  is  this : — 

TTbe  Storg  of  tbe  Stream*dItoll. 

There  is  on  the  Quivering  Flood  some  miles  below 
Sandheaps  a mighty  foss,  or  waterfall.  The  whole 
river  pours  over  a ledge  in  a thundering,  magnifi- 
cent cascade.  The  stream  in  the  middle  is  broken 
by  an  island.  You  can  hear  the  roar  of  the  falling 
water  for  a long  way  around,  and  see  the  spray 
thrown  up  from  the  fall  like  a cloud  or  column  of 
steam  rising  high  into  the  air.  This  waterfall  is 
called  Goda-foss,  and  was  long  supposed  to  be  the 
finest  in  the  island  ; but  there  is  another,  which  I 
was  the  first  to  see,  on  the  Jokull-river,  called  Detti- 
foss,  which  is  infinitely  finer,  but  which  is  in  a 
region  of  utter  desert  of  sand  and  volcanic  crater, 
many  miles  from  any  human  habitation. 

It  happens  that  there  is  a curious  black  lava  rock 
standing  near  the  river,  higher  up  than  the  fall, 
wiiich  bears  a quaint  resemblance  to  an  old  woman, 
and  this  stone  is  called  The  Old  Hag ; and  the  story 
goes  that  it  is  a troll-woman  turned  to  stone. 

How,  you  must  know  that  throughout  Norway  and 
Iceland,  and,  indeed,  wherever  the  Scandinavian  race 
is  found,  a superstition  exists  that  every  river  has 
its  spirit,  that  lives  in  the  river ; and  it  was  held 
that  these  river-spirits  demanded  a sacrifice  of  a 
human  life,  at  least  once  a year.  If  a sacrifice  were 
not  given  to  them,  then  they  took  some  man  or 


AT  SANDHEAPS. 


231 


woman,  when  crossing  the  water,  and  carried  the 
victim  away.  And  in  heathen  times  there  can  be 
no  doubt  whatever  that  human  sacrifices  were  of- 
fered to  every  river ; generally  an  evildoer  or  a 
prisoner  was  thrown  in  and  drowned,  to  propitiate 
the  Stream-churl,  as  he  was  called,  so  that  he  should 
not  snap  at  and  carry  off  other  and  more  valuable 
lives.  Wherever  there  was  a cataract,  there  the 
Stream-churl  was  believed  to  live,  hidden  away  be- 
hind the  curtain  of  falling  water.  If  the  stream  was 
small,  then  this  spirit  or  demon  was  small ; if,  how- 
ever, it  were  a mighty  river,  then  the  spirit  was  a 
great  troll  or  giant.  Even  to  this  day  in  Iceland 
and  Norway,  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  believe 
that  there  are  these  Stream-churls,  and  tell  stories 
about  them,  and  cannot  but  suspect  that,  when  any- 
one is  drowned,  it  is  the  Stream-churl  exacting  his 
toll. 

Now,  it  is  quite  certain  that  Steinvor,  although 
she  was  a Christian,  believed  in  there  being  a great 
Stream-churl  living  under  Goda-foss ; and  as  she  had 
lost  her  husband  and  one  of  her  servants  who  had 
been  drowned  in  the  Quivering  Flood,  she  held  that 
they  had  been  carried  off  by  the  Troll  of  the  water- 
fall. 

There  had  been,  as  it  happened,  something  mys- 
terious about  the  death  of  Steinvor’s  husband.  Two 
years  before  Grettir  came  to  Sandheaps,  on  Christ- 
mas-eve,  he  had  disappeared.  She  had  gone  off  to 
see  some  friends  at  a distance,  and  when  she  returned 
home  next  day  she  heard  that  her  husband  had  not 


232  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

been  seen — he  was  gone,  and  not  a trace  of  him  re 
mained.  It  occurred  to  her  that  in  all  probability 
he  had  gone  across  the  river  to  church,  and  had  been 
carried  off  by  the  river — that  is,  by  the  Stream-churl. 
But  she  could  be  certain  of  nothing,  and  she  was 
greatly  distressed  because  she  could  not  give  his 
body  burial.  A year  passed  and  not  a word  about 
her  husband  could  she  hear.  His  body  had  not  been 
found  anywhere  washed  up  by  the  river,  supposing 
he  had  been  drowned. 

Next  year  she  lost  one  of  her  men-servants  in  the 
same  way.  He  vanished,  and  none  knew  how  or 
whither  he  had  gone.  If  he  had  run  away,  she 
would  probably  have  had  tidings  of  him  ; but  she 
heard  none,  and  his  body  was  also  never  found. 

I have  no  doubt  that  she  told  Grettir  about  this, 
and  also  that  she  believed  that  the  Stream-churl 
who  lived  under  Goda-foss'  had  carried  off  both  her 
husband  and  the  servant.  I believe  also  that,  to 
satisfy  her,  Grettir  undertook  to  look,  and  that  he 
actually  dived  under  the  fall,  and  came  up  and 
searched  between  the  sheet  of  falling  water  and  the 
rock,  and  found — nothing. 

That  is  the  foundation  of  a wonderful  story  which 
has  found  its  way  into  the  saga.  It  did  not  satisfy 
those  who  told  the  tale  of  Grettir  that  he  should 
have  spent  the  winter  at  Sandheaps  and  done  noth- 
ing — that  he  should  have  dived  under  Goda-foss 
and  found  nothing. 

So  by  degrees  old  nursery  tales  got  mixed  up  with 
this  incident  about  Grettir’s  search  for  the  Stream- 


AT  SANBHEAPS.  233 

churl,  and  all  was  worked  into  a wonderful  story, 
which  you  shall  hear. 

On  that  night  on  which  Grettir  had  carried  Stein- 
vor  across  the  river,  he  returned  to  the  farm,  and  lay 
down  in  his  bed. 

When  midnight  arrived,  then  a great  din  was 
heard  outside,  and  presently  the  hall  door  was  thrown 
open  and  in  through  it  came  a gigantic  woman,  a 
Troll-wife,  with  a trough  in  one  hand  and  a huge 
chopper  in  the  other. 

As  she  entered  she  peered  about  her,  and  saw 
Grettir  where  he  lay,  and  she  ran  at  him.  Then  he 
jumped  up  and  went  to  meet  her,  and  they  fell  a 
wrestling  terribly,  and  struggled  together  so  furi- 
ously, that  all  the  panelling  of  the  hall  side  was 
broken. 

She  was  the  stronger,  and  she  dragged  Grettir 
towards  the  door,  and  forth  towards  the  entrance, 
in  spite  of  all  his  efforts.  She  had  got  him  as  far  as 
the  entrance,  when  there  he  made  a final  struggle, 
and  in  the  struggle  the  door-posts  and  fittings  were 
torn  from  their  place,  and  fell  outwards. 

Then  the  Troll-woman  labored  away  with  him 
towards  the  river,  and  right  down  towards  the 
gulfs. 

Grettir  was  exceedingly  weary  yet  he  saw  that 
his  only  chance  was  to  make  a last  effort,  or  be  flung 
by  her  over  the  edge  into  the  deep,  boiling  river. 

All  night  they  contended  in  such  fashion,  and  ever 
was  he  drawing  nearer  to  the  edge.  But  just  as  she 
was  preparing  to  fling  him  into  the  water,  he  got 


234 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


his  right  hand  free,  and  he  swiftly  seized  his  short- 
sword,  and  struck  off  her  arm  ; and  at  that  moment 
the  sun  rose,  and  the  Troll-woman  was  turned  into 
stone.  There  she  stands  with  her  amputated  arm- 
socket,  as  a mass  of  black  basalt  or  lava  to  this  day. 

If  the  reader  will  recall  the  story  of  Grettir’s 
struggle  with  Glam  at  Thorod’s-stead,  in  the  valley 
of  Shadows,  he  will  see  that  this  is  only  the  same 
story  over  again  almost  in  every  particular, — except 
that  the  first  fight  was  with  a man,  and  this  is  with 
a woman.  The  reason  why  this  story  was  concocted 
and  put  in  here,  was  to  account  for  the  stone  figure 
which  stands  by  the  river,  and  which  is  called  the 
Troll- wife.  So  far  the  story  carries  its  character  on 
its  face. 

Now  we  will  go  on  to  the  next  part  of  the  tale. 
It  did  not  satisfy  people  that  Grettir  should  have 
dived  under  Goda-foss  and  found  nothing,  so  the 
story  was  thus  told : 

When  the  goodwife,  Steinvor,  came  from  church, 
she  thought  that  her  house  had  been  rudely  handled  ; 
so  she  went  to  Grettir  and  asked  him  what  had 
occurred.  Then  he  told  her  all,  and  she  prayed  him 
to  go  and  make  a search  for  her  husband’s  bones, 
under  Goda-foss. 

Grettir  consented,  but  he  asked  that  the  priest 
might  be  sent  for.  His  name  was  Stone.  Steinvor 
sent  for  him,  and  Stone  was  curious  to  know  whether 
his  suspicions  about  this  stranger  were  true.  So  he 
asked  him  questions,  but  Grettir  answered  that  if 
the  priest  wanted  to  know  who  he  was,  he  must  find 


AT  SANDHEAPS. 


235 

out.  The  priest  laughed  at  the  story  of  the  Troll- 
wife,  and  said  he  did  not  believe  a word  about  the 
struggle. 

Then  Grettir  said,  “Well,  priest,  I see  that  you 
have  no  faith  in  my  tale ; now  I propose  that  you 
accompany  me  to  Goda-foss,  and  we  will  search  for 
the  Troll  himself,  and  see  if  we  can  recover  the  bones 
of  Steinvor’s  husband.” 

The  priest,  Stone,  agreed,  and  they  went  together 
to  the  side  of  the  waterfall,  and  they  had  a rope  with 
them. 

Stone  shook  his  head,  and  he  said,  “ It  would  be 
too  risky  for  any  one  to  venture  down  there.” 

“ I will  go,”  said  Grettir.  “ But  you  mind  the 
rope.” 

The  priest  drove  a peg  into  the  sward  on  the  cliff, 
and  heaped  stones  over  it,  so  as  to  make  the  end 
firm,  and  then  he  seated  himself  by  the  heap. 

Then  Grettir  made  a loop  in  the  end  of  the  rope, 
and  put  a stone  through  the  loop,  and  threw  the 
stone  down,  and  the  end  of  the  rope  went  to  the 
bottom  of  the  gulf. 

“ How  are  you  going  down  ? ” asked  Stone. 

“ I shall  dive,”  said  Grettir. 

Then  he  stripped,  but  girt  on  a short-sword,  and 
so  leaped  off  the  cliff  into  the  foss.  The  priest  saw 
only  the  soles  of  his  feet  as  he  went  into  the  water, 
and  then  saw  no  more. 

“Now,  Grettir  had  gone  in  below  the  fall,  and  he 
dived  and  went  under  the  curtain  of  water  and 
came  up  near  the  rock.  The  whirlpool  below  the 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


236 

falls  was  so  strong  that  he  had  a desperate  struggle 
with  the  water  before  he  could  reach  the  rock. 

When  he  rose,  he  saw  that  the  water  fell  over  a 
lip  of  rock,  quite  clear,  and  that  in  the  face  of  the 
rock  was  a cavern,  and  that  smoke  issued  from  this 
cave,  and  mingling  with  the  spray  and  foam  passed 
away,  and  was  not  discerned  beyond. 

Grettir  climbed  over  the  stones  into  the  cave  and  v 
there  he  saw  a great  fire  flaming  from  amidst  brands 
of  drift-wood ; and  there  was  the  Stream-churl  seated 
there,  a great  Troll  with  a hideous  face.  When  he 
saw  Grettir  he  roared  and  jumped  up,  and  caught 
a glaive  that  was  near  him,  and  smote  at  the  new- 
comer. Grettir  hewed  back  at  him  with  his  short- 
sword,  and  smote  the  handle  of  the  glaive  and  broke 
it.  Then  the  giant  stretched  back  for  a sword  that 
hung  up  to  a peg  against  the  side  of  the  cave,  but  as 
he  was  thus  leaning  back  Grettir  smote  him  across 
the  breast,  and  cut  through  to  the  ribs,  and  gashed 
open  his  belly.  The  blood  poured  forth  out  of  the 
cave  and  mingled  with  the  stream.  When  the  priest 
saw  the  bloody  foam  beneath  the  fall,  he  was  so 
frightened  that  he  ran  away,  for  he  made  sure  that 
Grettir  was  dead. 

Grettir  remained  in  the  cave,  standing  across  the 
giant,  till  he  had  killed  him.  Then  he  took  up  a 
flaming  brand  and  searched  the  cave  through.  He 
found  nothing  more  than  dead  men’s  bones,  and 
these  he  put  together  into  a bag,  threw  that  over 
his  shoulder,  and  went  again  into  the  water. 

He  rose  beyond  the  foss  and  looked  up,  but  could 


AT  SANDHEAPS. 


237 


see  nothing  of  the  priest ; so  he  caught  the  rope, 
and  by  means  of  that  he  swarmed  up  to  the  top  of 
the  cliff. 

Then  he  sat  down,  and  with  a sharp  knife  he  cut 
runes  on  a staff.  And  what  he  wrote  was  this : 

“ Down  into  the  gulf  I went, 

Where  the  rocks  are  widely  rent ; 

Where  the  swirling  waters  fall 
O’er  the  black  basaltic  wall ; 

Where,  with  voice  of  thunder,  leap 
In  the  foaming  darkling  deep. 

There  the  stream  with  icy  wave 
Washes  the  grim  giant’s  cave.” 

He  had  cut  as  much  as  he  could  on  one  stick,  so 
now  he  took  another,  and  on  that  he  cut : 

“ Dreadful  dweller  in  the  cave 
Underneath  the  falling  w~ave, 

Fierce  at  me  he  brandished  glaive  ; 

Full  of  rage  at  me  he  drove, 

Desperate  we  together  strove. 

Lo  ! I smote  his  halft  in  twain, 

Lo  ! I smote  and  he  was  slain, 

Bleeding  from  each  riven  vein.” 

Then  Grettir  carried  the  bag  of  bones  and  the 
staves  to  the  church,  and  laid  them  in  the  porch. 

Next  morning  when  the  priest  came  to  the  church 
he  found  the  bag  of  bones  and  the  staves. 

Such  is  the  story. 

Now,  it  is  clear  that  a good  bit  of  it  is  simply 
transferred  from  the  story  of  Grettir  going  down 
into  the  cairn  of  Karr  the  Old. 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


238 

The  real  truth  of  the  tale  is  no  more  than  what 
has  been  stated,  that  Grettir  went  under  the  water- 
fall and  found  nothing.  It  is,  of  course,  possible 
that  he  may  have  hoaxed  the  priest ; but  I think  it 
more  probable  that  all  this  marvelous  matter  is 
simply  tacked  on  to  one  simple  fact,  and  that  it  was 
taken,  partly  from  the  story  of  Grettir  in  the  barrow 
of  Karr,  and  partly  from  that  of  his  struggle  with 
Glam. 

"What  the  saga  writer  does  admit  is  that  the 
versions  of  the  story  do  not  quite  agree,  and  that — 
in  spite  of  this  wonderful  achievement,  folks  did  not 
know  that  Grettir  was  at  Sandheaps  that  winter. 


HOW  GRETTIR  WAS  DRIVEN  ABOUT.  239 


CHAPTER  XXXIY. 

HOW  GRETTIR  WAS  DRIVEN  ABOUT. 

After  a while  rumors  reached  Thorir  of  Garth 
that  either  Grettir,  or  some  one  very  like  Grettir, — 
a tall,  powerful  man  with  reddish  hair,  and  one  who 
gave  no  account  of  whence  he  came, — was  lodging 
at  Sandheaps,  and  Thorir  made  ready  to  go  there 
after  him.  Fortunately  Grettir,  or  rather  the  house- 
wife Stein vor,  heard  of  his  intention,  and  so  Grettir 
made  off  out  of  the  valley  of  the  Quivering  Flood 
before  Thorir  came  there  in  quest  of  him. 

He  escaped  to  Madder  vales,  in  the  Horg-river 
Dale.  This  is  a noble  valley  of  the  Horg  River, 
with  chains  of  snowy  peaks  on  each  side,  of  peculiar 
shape,  barred  with  precipices  of  basalt,  on  which  lie 
slopes  of  snow. 

Some  way  up  this  valley  are  some  very  remark- 
able spires  of  basaltic  rock,  one  of  which  that  is  like 
a needle  is  said  to  haye  been  climbed  by  Grettir 
whilst  staying  in  this  valley.  It  is  not  so  said  in 
the  saga,  but  I was  told  so  on  the  spot,  and  the  tale 
goes  that  when  he  climbed  to  the  top  he  slipped  his 
belt  round  the  needle,  and  there  it  hangs  round  it 
still — but  no  one  has  been  up  since  to  find  if  it  be 
there  where  he  left  it. 


240 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


He  could  not  remain  long  there,  for  Gudmund 
the  Rich,  who  was  farmer  at  Maddervales,  was  afraid 
to  house  him  for  long.  Thorir  of  Garth  would 
come  and  burn  his  house  if  he  harbored  Grettir. 
However,  he  kept  him  for  some  little  while,  and 
then  he  gave  him  advice  what  he  should  do. 

It  had  come  to  such  a pass  with  Grettir  now  that 
no  one  dared  to  shelter  him  for  long,  and  Thorir  had 
spies  everywhere  to  inform  him  where  Grettir  was. 

Gudmund  the  Rich  said  to  Grettir : “ You  can 

find  no  safety  anywhere  that  men  dwell ; for  if 
there  be  not  treachery,  yet  the  news  flies  about  that 
you  are  there.  So  I advise  you  to  go  where  you 
shall  be  alone.” 

“ Where  shall  I go  ? ” asked  Grettir.  “ I am 
hunted  like  a dog.” 

“ There  is  an  island,”  answered  Gudmund,  “ lying 
in  the  Skagafirth,  called  Drangey.  It  is  a place 
excellent  for  defense,  as  no  one  can  reach  it  without 
a ladder.  If  you  could  get  upon  Drangey,  no  one 
could  come  on  you  unawares.  You  would  see  any 
one  who  came  by  boat  to  the  island,  and  you  could 
pull  up  a rope-ladder,  without  which  no  one  would 
be  able  to  ascend.” 

“ I will  try  that,”  said  Grettir ; “ but  I have  be- 
come so  fearsome  in  the  dark  that  not  even  at  the 
risk  of  my  life  can  I endure  to  be  alone.” 

“ Well,”  said  Gudmund,  “ that  is  my  counsel. 
Trust  none  but  yourself.  Treachery  lies  where  least 
expected.” 

Grettir  thanked  him  for  his  advice,  and  went 


HOW  GRETTIR  WAS  DRIVEN  ABOUT.  241 

away  west  to  see  his  mother.  And  he  was  most 
joyfully  welcomed  by  her  and  his  young  brother 
Illugi  at  Biarg.  There  he  remained  some  nights — 
not  many ; for  Ramsfirth  was  only  over  a brow  of 
hill,  and  the  tidings  of  his  return  home  was  sure  in 
a few  days  to  reach  the  relatives  of  Oxmain,  when 
he  would  again  be  set  on. 

I said,  after  giving  an  account  of  Grettir5  s adven- 
ture at  ThorhallVstead  with  Glam,  that  there  must 
have  been  something  of  fact  in  that  story,  and  not 
pure  fiction ; and  now  it  has  been  seen  how  that 
event  colored  and  affected  his  whole  after  life, 
leaving  his  nerves  so  shaken  that  he  could  not 
drive  off  the  impression  then  made  on  him,  and  he 
was  ready  to  run  serious  risks  rather  than  be  subject 
to  the  terrors  that  came  on  him  in  the  dark  when 
alone. 

He  told  his  mother  and  Illugi  how  it  was  with 
him,  and  how  that  he  had  been  advised  to  go  to 
Drangey,  but  that  he  could  not ; he  dare  not,  in  the 
long  winter  night,  be  on  that  lonely  islet  by  him- 
self. 

Then  Illugi  his  brother  said,  “ Grettir,  I will  be 
with  you.55 

“ Brother  holds  to  brother  as  hand  clasps  hand,55 
answered  Grettir,  and  so  they  parted.  All  that 
summer  he  wandered  about  in  wild  places,  shifting 
his  quarters  repeatedly,  and  living  how  he  could.  * 

16 


242 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XXXY. 

ON  THE  ISLE. 

When  summer  was  now  over,  and  the  first  snow 
of  winter  began  to  fall,  when  the  days  were  rapidly 
shortening,  and  the  sun  had  gone  out  of  the  north 
to  the  south,  where  it  began  to  move  in  a rapidly 
narrowing  arc,  Grettir  returned  to  Biarg  and  re- 
mained there  a while.  “ But,”  says  the  saga,  “ so 
great  grew  his  fear  in  the  dark  that  he  durst  go 
nowhere  as  soon  as  dusk  set  in.”  We  can  see  that 
the  many  years  strain  on  his  nerves  had  broken 
them.  Hunted  about  as  a wild  beast,  always  forced 
to  be  on  his  guard,  never  able  to  sleep  without  fear 
of  being  murdered  in  his  sleep,  the  trial  had  told  on 
him.  This  was  now  the  winter  of  1028.  He  was 
aged  but  thirty-one ; his  strength  of  body  was  not 
abated,  only  his  nervous  force.  He  had  been  in 
outlawry  altogether  fifteen  years,  three  for  the  slay- 
ing of  Skeggi,  then  he  had  been  outlawed  by  King 
Olaf  in  1016.  On  his  return  to  Iceland  he  had 
been  outlawed  in  1017 ; this  was  the  eleventh  year 
of  his  outlawrv  at  the  suit  of  Thorir  of  Garth,  an 
outlawry  not  only  unjust,  but  according  to  general 
opinion  illegal,  because  he  had  been  tried  and  sen- 


ON  THE  ISLE. 


243 


tenced  in  his  absence,  and  without  any  witnesses 
having  been  called  to  establish  his  guilt — condemned 
on  hearsay  evidence,  and  he  never  allowed  to  defend 
himself. 

Now  Illugi,  Grettir’s  sole  surviving  brother,  was 
aged  fifteen,  and  was  a very  handsome,  honest-look- 
ing boy. 

“ Grettir,”  said  he,  “ yon  know  what  I said.  I 
will  go  with  you  to  D ran  gey,  if  you  will  take  me. 
I know  not  that  I will  be  of  much  help  to  you,  but 
this  I know,  that  I will  be  ever  true  to  you,  and 
will  never  run  from  you  so  long  as  you  stand  up. 
Besides,  I shall  like  to  be  with  you,  for  here  at  home 
we  are  ever  in  anxiety  for  news  about  you,  always 
fearing  the  worst ; but  if  I am  at  your  side,  I shall 
know  how  you  fare.” 

“ I would  rather  have  you  with  me  than  any  one 
else,”  answered  Grettir.  “ But  I cannot  take  you 
unless  our  mother  consent.” 

Then  said  Asdis,  “Now  I can  see  that  I have  the 
choice  of  evils.  I can  ill  spare  Illugi ; yet  I know 
your  trouble,  Grettir,  and  that  something  must  be 
done  for  you.  It  grieves  me,  my  sons,  to  see  you 
both  leave  me ; yet  I will  not  withhold  my  youngest 
from  you,  Grettir.  It  is  right  that  brother  should 
help  brother.” 

That  rejoiced  Illugi.  Then  Asdis  gave  her  sons 
what  things  she  thought  they  might  want  on  the 
island,  and  they  made  them  ready  to  depart. 

She  led  them  outside  the  farm  inclosure,  and  then 
she  took  farewell  of  them,  saying,  “ My  two  sons  ! 


244 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


There  you  depart  from  me,  and  I dreamed  last  night 
that  you  left  me  for  ever,  and  would  fall  together. 
What  is  fated  none  may  fly  from.  Never  shall  1 see 
you  again,  either  of  you.  Be  it  so,  that  one  fate 
overtake  you  both.  In  my  dream  I saw  your  bones 
whitening  on  Drangey.  Be  careful  and  watchful. 
My  dreams  have  troubled  me  greatly.  Above  all 
beware  of  witchcraft.  None  can  cope  with  the  craft 
of  the  old.” 

When  she  had  said  this  she  wept  sore. 

Then  said  Grettir,  “Weep  not,  mother,  for  if  we 
be  set  on  with  weapons  it  will  be  said  of  thee  that 
thou  hadst  men  and  not  girls  for  thy  children.  Live 
on  well,  and  be  hale.” 

So  they  parted.  Grettir  and  Ulugi  went  to  their 
relatives  and  visited  them,  never,  however,  staying 
long  in  any  place,  and  so  on  by  Swine  Lake,  a long 
sheet  of  water  in  a shallow  basin,  to  the  Blend  River. 
This  river  is  of  the  color  of  milk  and  water,  because 
it  is  so  full  of  undissolved  snow,  and  milk  and  water 
is  called  Bland,  i.  e.  Blend,  in  Icelandic.  Another 
river  enters  it  that  is  called  the  Black  Stream,  be- 
cause of  the  dark  color  of  the  water.  Grettir  turned 
up  the  valley  of  the  Black  River  and  then  over  a 
pass  by  a pretty  lake  lying  in  a mountain  lap,  down 
into  a broad  marshy  valley  in  which  are  three  or 
four  rivers,  and  boiling  springs  pouring  forth  clouds 
of  steam  on  the  hill-slopes.  The  valley  is  commanded 
by  a beautiful  mountain  peak,  called  the  Measuring 
Peak,  because  the  natives  thereabouts  reckon  dis- 
tances from  it. 


ON  THE  ISLE. 


245 

Grettir  and  Illugi  went  down  this  valley-  till  they 
reached  the  sea,  and  now  there  opened  before  them 
a glorious  view  of  the  fiord,  extending  out  north 
about  forty  miles,  and  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles 
across,  between  mountains  and  precipitous  cliffs.  A 
little  way  back  from  the  eastern  shore  stood  up  the 
Unadals  Jokull,  crowned  with  perpetual  snows  and 
with  glaciers  rolling  down  the  sides,  and  on  the  west, 
close  to  the  sea,  seeming  to  rise  in  a wall  out  of  it 
and  running  up  into  fantastic  peaks,  was  the  range 
of  Tindastoll,  famous  for  its  cornelians  and  agates 
and  other  precious  stones.  In  the  offing,  fifteen 
miles  out,  right  in  the  midst  of  the  fiord,  stood  up 
the  isle  of  Drangey  with  sheer  cliffs,  about  which 
the  sea  perpetually  danced  and  foamed. 

Grettir  and  Illugi  skirted  the  shore  on  the  west. 
The  wind  was  blowing  cold,  and  snow  was  driving 
before  it,  as  they  passed  a farm.  The  farmer  stood 
in  his  door,  and  saw  a great  man  stride  by  with  an 
ax  over  his  shoulder,  his  hood  thrown  back,  and  his 
wild  red  hair  blowing  about  in  the  gale.  “ Yerily,” 
said  the  farmer,  “ that  must  be  a strange  fellow  not 
to  cover  his  head  with  his  hood  in  such  weather  as 
this.”  Near  this  little  farm  the  brothers  stumbled 
upon  a tall,  thin  man,  dressed  in  rags  and  with  a 
very  big  head.  They  asked  each  other’s  names,  and 
the  fellow  called  himself  Glaum.  He  was  out  of 
work,  and  he  went  along  with  the  brothers  chatting, 
and  telling  them  all  the  gossip  of  the  neighborhood. 
Then  Glaum  asked  if  they  were  in  want  of  a serv- 
ant, and  Grettir  gladly  accepted  him,  and  the  man 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


246 

became  thenceforth  his  constant  attendant.  But  the 
fellow  was  a sad  boaster,  and  most  people  thought 
him  both  a fool  and  a coward.  He  was  not  fond  of 
work,  and  he  spent  his  time  strolling  about  the  coun- 
try picking  up  and  retailing  news. 

Grettir  and  bis  brother  and  Glaum  reached  a farm 
called  Reykir  as  the  day  closed  in,  where  was  a hot 
spring  in  the  farm  paddock.  The  farmer’s  name 
was  Thorwald  : and  Grettir  asked  him  to  put  him 
across  in  a boat  to  Drangey.  Thorwald  shook  his 
head  and  said,  “ I shall  get  into  trouble  with  those 
who  have  rights  of  pasturage  on  the  island.  I had 
rather  not.” 

Then  Grettir  offered  him  a bag  of  silver  which  his 
mother  had  given  him,  and  at  the  sight  of  this, 
Thorwald  raised  his  eyebrows  and  thought  that  he 
might  perhaps  do  what  was  asked.  The  distance 
was  just  five  miles. 

So  on  a moonshiny  night  Thorwald  got  three  of 
his  churls  and  they  rowed  Grettir  and  the  two  who 
went  with  him  over.  On  reaching  his  destination 
Grettir  was  well  pleased  Avith  the  spot,  for  it-  was 
covered  with  a profusion  of  grass,  and  the  sides  Avere 
so  precipitous  that  it  seemed  a sheer  impossibility 
for  any  one  to  ascend  it  Avithout  the  aid  of  the  rope- 
ladder  that  hung  from  strong  staples  at  the  summit. 
In  summer  the  place  Avould  swarm  with  sea-birds, 
and  at  the  time  there  Avere  eighty  sheep  left  on  the 
island  for  fattening. 

A good  many  farmers  had  rights  of  pasturage  on 
the  island.  Hialti  of  Hof  Avas  one,  Avhose  brother’s 


ON  THE  ISLE. 


247 


name  was  Thorbiorn  Hook,  of  whom  more  hereafter. 
Another  was  Haldor,  who  lived  at  Head-strand  ; he 
had  married  the  sister  of  these  brothers.  Biorn, 
Eric,  and  Tongue-stone  were  the  names  of  three 
others. 

Thorbiorn  Hook  was  a hard-headed,  ill-disposed 
fellow.  His  father  had  married  a second  time,  and 
there  was  no  love  lost  between  the  stepmother  and 
Thorbiorn.  It  is  said  that  one  day  as  The  Hook  was 
sitting  at  draughts,  she  passed,  and  looking  over  his 
shoulder  laughed,  because  he  had  made  a bad  move. 
Thorbiorn  Hook  thereupon  said  something  abusive 
and  insulting ; this  so  enraged  her  that  she  snatched 
up  a draught-man,  and  pressing  it  against  his  eye- 
socket,  drove  the  eyeball  out.  He  started  to  his 
feet,  and  with  the  draught-board  struck  her  over  the 
head  such  a blow  that  she  took  to  her  bed,  and  died 
of  the  injury.  The  Hook  now  went  from  bad  to 
worse,  and  leaving  home  settled  at  Woodwick  on  the 
fiord,  a small  farm.  It  will  be  understook  from  this 
story  that  he  was  a violent  and  brutal  fellow,  and 
that,  indeed,  the  life  in  his  father’s  house  had  not 
been  of  an  orderly  description. 

As  many  as  twenty  farmers  claimed  rights  to  turn 
out  their  sheep  on  Drangey  in  summer.  The  way 
they  managed  it  is  the  way  still  employed  by  their 
successors.  They  take  the  sheep  out  in  boats,  and 
then  put  them  over  their  shoulders,  with  the  feet 
tied  under  their  chins,  and  so  they  climb  the  rope- 
ladder,  carrying  the  sheep  up  on  their  backs.  Though 
all  these  farmers  claimed  rights  on  Drangey,  The 


248  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

Hook  and  his  brother  had  the  largest  share,  that  is  to 
say,  the  right  to  turn  out  more  sheep  than  the  rest. 

Now,  about  the  time  of  the  winter  solstice,  that 
is  just  before  Yule,  the  bonders  made  ready  to  visit 
the  island,  and  bring  home  their  sheep  for  slaugh- 
tering for  the  Christmas  feasting.  They  rowed  out 
in  a large  boat,  and  on  nearing  the  island  were 
much  surprised  to  see  figures  moving  on  top  of  the 
cliffs.  How  any  one  had  got  there  without  their 
knowledge  puzzled  them,  for  Thorwald  had  kept  his 
counsel,  and  told  no  one  what  he  had  done  for  Grettir. 
They  pulled  hard  for  the  landing-place,  where  hung 
the  ladder,  but  Grettir  drew  it  up  before  they 
landed. 

The  bonders  shouted  to  know  who  were  on  the 
crags,  and  Grettir,  looking  over,  told  his  name  and 
those  of  his  companions.  The  farmers  then  asked  * 
how  he  had  got  there  ? who  had  put  him  across  ? 

Grettir  answered,  “ If  you  very  much  wish  to 
know,  it  was  not  one  of  you  below  now  speaking  to 
us.  It  was  some  one  else,  who  had  a good  boat 
and  a pair  of  lusty  arms.” 

“ Let  us  fetch  our  sheep  away,”  called  the  bonders, 

“ then  you  come  to  land  with  us.  We  will  not 
make  you  pay  for  the  sheep  you  have  eaten,  and  we 
will  do  you  no  harm.” 

“ Well  offered,”  answered  Grettir;  “but  he  who 
takes  keeps  hold ; and  a bird  in  the  hand  is  worth 
two  in  the  bush.  Believe  me,  I will  not  leave  this 
island  till  the  time  of  my  outlawry  is  expired,  unless 
I be  carried  from  it  dead.” 


ON  THE  ISLE. 


H9 


The  bonders  were  silenced,  it  seemed  to  them  that 
they  had  got  an  ugly  customer  on  Drangey,  to  get 
rid  of  whom  would  be  no  easy  matter ; so  they 
rowed  home,  very  ill-satisfied  with  the  result  of  their 
expedition. 

The  news  spread  like  wildfire,  and  was  talked 
about  all  through  the  neighborhood.  Thorir  of 
Garth  was  the  more  embittered,  because  he  could 
see  no  way  in  which  Grettir  could  be  reached  and 
overmastered  in  this  inaccessible  spot. 


250 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XXXYI. 

OF  GEETTIE  ON  HEEON-NESS. 

"W" intee  passed,  and  at  the  beginning  of  summer 
the  whole  district  met  at  an  assize  held  on  the 
Herons’-ness,  a headland  in  the  Skaga-firth,  between 
the  rivers  that  discharge  into  the  fiord.  It  is,  in 
fact,  the  seaward  point  of  a large  island  in  the  delta 
of  the  river  that  divides  about  eight  miles  higher 
up,  inland.  The  gathering  was  thronged,  and  the 
litigations  and  merry-makings  made  the  assize  last 
over  many  days.  Grettir  guessed  what  was  going 
on  by  seeing  a number  of  boats  passed  to  the  head 
of  the  fiord.  He  became  restless,  and  at  last  an- 
nounced to  his  brother  that  he  intended  being 
present  at  the  assize,  cost  what  it  might.  Illugi 
thought  it  was  sheer  madness,  but  Grettir  was  reso- 
lute. He  begged  his  brother  and  Glaum  to  watch 
the  ladder  and  await  his  return. 

Now,  Grettir  was  on  very  good  terms  with  the 
farmer  at  Reykir,  and  with  some  others  on  that  side 
of  the  firth,  and  they  were  not  unwilling  to  help 
him.  Sometimes  his  mother  sent  things  to  the 
brothers  that  she  thought  they  would  need,  and 
then  there  were  not  wanting  men  to  take  these  over 


OF  GRETTIR  ON  HERON-NESS.  25 1 

to  the  island.  So  Grettir  got  put  across  by  his 
friend  Thorwald  to  the  mainland,  and  he  borrowed 
of  him  a set  of  old  clothes,  and  thus  attired  he  went 
along  the  coast  boldly  to  Heron-ness.  He  had  on  a 
fur  cap,  which  was  drawn  closely  over  his  eyes,  and 
concealed  his  face,  so  that  no  one  might  recognize 
him.  How,  in  parts  of  Iceland,  the  flies  are  such 
torments  that  men  have  to  wear  literally  cloth 
helmets,  with  only  nose  and  eyes  showing,  the  cloth 
fitting  tight  to  the  head,  and  round  over  the  ears 
and  neck,  exactly  like  a helmet,  or  a German  knit- 
ted sledging  cap.  When  I was  in  Iceland,  when 
the  flies  were  troublesome,  I put  my  head  into  a 
butterfly  net,  and  buckled  it  round  my  neck  tightly 
with  a leather  strap.  How,  Grettir’s  cap  was  some- 
thing like  those  I have  described,  and  no  one  was 
surprised  at  his  wearing  it,  as  the  whole  of  that 
valley  is  one  vast  marsh,  and  is  infested  with  flies 
that  blacken  the  air  and  madden  men  and  beasts. 

Grettir  thus  attired  sauntered  between  the  booths 
erected  on  the  headland,  till  he  reached  the  spot 
where  games  were  going  on. 

How,  Hialti  and  Thorbiorn  Hook  were  the  chief 
men  in  these  sports.  Hook  was  specially  noisy  and 
boisterous,  and  drove  men  together  to  the  sports, 
and  whether  men  liked  it  or  not,  he  insisted  on  their 
attendance.  He  would  take  this  man  and  that  by 
the  hands  and  drag  him  forth  to  the  field,  where  the 
wrestling  and  other  games  went  on. 

How,  first  wrestled  those  who  were  weakest,  and 
then  each  man  in  turn,  and  great  fun  there  was 


252 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


But  when  most  men  had  tried  their  strength  except 
the  very  strongest,  it  was  asked  who  would  be  a 
match  for  Hialti  and  The  Hook.  These  two  being' 
the  strongest  and  the  roughest  of  all,  went  round 
inviting  each  man  in  return  to  wrestle  with  them, 
but  all  declined. 

Then  Thorbiorn  Hook,  looking  round,  spied  a tall 
fellow  in  the  shabbiest  and  quaintest  of  suits,  sitting 
by  himself,  speaking  to  no  one.  Thorbiorn  walked 
up  to  him,  laid  his  hands  on  his  shoulders  and  asked 
him  to  wrestle. 

The  man  sat  still,  and  The  Hook  could  not  drag 
him  from  his  seat. 

“"Well!”  exclaimed  The  Hook,  “no  one  else 
has  kept  his  place  before  me  to-day.  Who  are 
you?  ” 

“ Guest,”  answered  Grettir  shortly. 

“ A wished-for  guest  thou  wilt  be,  if  thou  furnish 
some  entertainment  to  the  company,”  said  Thorbiorn 
Hook. 

Grettir  answered,  “I  am  indisposed  to  make  a 
fool  of  myself  before  strangers.  How  am  I to  know, 
supposing  that  I give  you  a fall,  that  I shall  not  be 
set  upon  by  you  or  your  kindred,  and  be  unfairly 
treated  ? ” 

Then  many  exclaimed  that  there  should  be  fair 
play. 

“ It  is  all  very  well  your  saying  Fair-play  now  ; 
but  will  you  say  Fair-play,  and  stick  to  it  supposing  I 
get  the  better  of  this  man.  You  are  all  akin,  or 
friends,  and  I am  a stranger  to  you  all,” 


OF  GRETTIR  ON  HERON-NESS.  253 

Again  he  was  assured  that  no  one  would  resent 
what  he  did. 

“ But  see,”  said  Grettir,  “ I have  not  wrestled 
for  many  years,  and  have  lost  all  skill  in  the 
matter.” 

Yet  they  pressed  him  the  more. 

Then  he  said,  “ I will  wrestle  with  whom  you  will, 
if  you  will  swear  to  show  me  no  violence  so  long  as 
I am  among  you  as  a guest.” 

This  all  agreed  to,  and  an  oath  of  safe  conduct 
was  made,  the  form  of  which  is  so  curious  that  it 
must  be  given. 

A man  named  Hafr  recited  the  terms  of  the  oath, 
and  the  rest  agreed  to  it. 

“ Here  set  I peace  among  all  men  towards  this 
man  Guest  who  sits  before  us,  and  this  oath  I bind 
all  magistrates  and  well-to-do  bonders,  and  all  men 
who  bear  swords,  and  all  men  whatsoever  in  this 
district,  present  or  absent,  named  or  unnamed. 
These  are  to  show  peace  to,  and  give  free  passage 
to  the  aforenamed  stranger,  that  he  may  sport, 
wrestle,  make  merry,  abide  with  us  and  depart  from 
us,  without  stay,  whether  he  go  by  land  or  flood. 
He  shall  have  peace  where  he  is,  in  all  places  where 
he  may  be  till  he  reaches  his  house  whence  he  set 
out,  so  long  and  no  longer. 

“ I set  this  treaty  of  peace  between  him  and  us, 
our  kinsmen  male  and  female,  our  servants  and 
children.  May  the  breaker  of  this  compact  be  cast 
out  of  the  favor  of  God  and  good  men,  out  of  his 
heavenly  inheritance  and  the  society  of  just  men 


254 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


and  angels.  May  lie  be  an  outcast  from  land  to  its 
farthest  limits,  far  as  men  chase  wolves,  as  Christians 
frequent  churches,  as  heathen  men  offer  sacrifices, 
as  flame  burns,  earth  produces  herb,  as  baby  calls  its 
mother,  and  mother  rocks  her  child  ; far  as  fire  is 
kindled,  ships  glide,  lightnings  flicker,  sun  shines, 
snow  lies,  Finns  slide  on  snow-shoes,  fir-trees  grow, 
falcons  fly  on  a spring  day  with  a breeze  under  their 
wings  ; far  as  heaven  bends,  earth  is  peopled,  winds 
sweep  the  water  into  waves,  churls  till  corn  ; he 
shall  be  banished  from  churches  and  the  company 
of  Christian  men,  from  heathen  folk,  from  house 
and  den,  from  every  house — save  hell ! Now  let  us 
be  agreed  whether  we  be  on  mountain  or  shore,  on 
ship  or  skate,  on  ground  or  glacier,  at  sea  or  in 
saddle,  as  friend  with  friend,  as  brother  with  bro- 
ther, as  father  with  son,  in  this  our  compact.  Lay 
we  now  hand  to  hand,  and  hold  we  true  peace  and 
keep  every  ivord  of  this  oath.” 

Now,  this  formula  is  very  curious.  It  must  have 
been  brought  by  the  Icelandic  settlers  with  them 
from  Norway,  for  parts  of  it  are  inappropriate  to 
their  land.  There  are  no  Finns  there,  nor  do  fir- 
trees  grow  there,  nor  is  any  corn  tilled.  But  all 
that  about  Christians  is  of  later  origin. 

After  a little  hesitation  the  oath  was  taken  by 
all. 

Then  said  Grettir,  “ You  have  done  well,  only  be- 
ware of  breaking  your  oath.  I am  ready  to  do  my 
part,  without  delay,  to  fulfil  your  Avishes.” 

Thereupon  he  flung  aside  his  hood  and  garments, 


OF  GRETTIR  ON  HERON-NESS.  255 

and  the  assembled  bonders  looked  at  each  other, 
and  were  disconcerted,  for  they  saw  they  had  in 
their  midst  Grettir,  Asmund’s  son.  They  were 
silent,  and  thought  that  they  had  taken  the  oath 
somewhat  unadvisedly,  and  they  whispered  the  one 
into  another,  to  find  if  there  were  not  some  loop- 
hole by  which  they  might  evade  the  obligation  to 
observe  the  oath. 

“ Come  now,”  said  Grettir,  “ let  me  know  your 
purpose,  for  I shall  not  long  stand  stripped.  It  will 
be  worse  for  you  than  for  me  if  you  break  your 
oath,  for  it  will  go  down  in  story  to  the  end  of  time 
that  the  men  of  Heron-ness  swore  and  were  per- 
jured.” 

He  received  no  answer.  The  chiefs  moved  away  ; 
some  wanted  to  break  the  truce,  and  argued  that 
an  oath  taken  to  an  outlaw  was  not  legally  binding  ; 
others  insisted  that  the  oath  must  be  observed. 
Then  Grettir  sang : 

“ Many  trees-of -wealth  (men)  this  morn, 

Failed  the  well-known  well  to  know, 

Two  ways  turn  the  sea-flame-branches  (men), 

When  a trick  on  them  is  tried  ; 

Falter  folk  in  oath  fulfilling, 

Hafr’s  talking  lips  are  dumb.’5 

Then  Tongue-stone  said,  “ You  think  so,  do  you, 
Grettir?  Well,  I will  say  this  of  you,  you  are  a 
man  of  dauntless  courage.  Look  how  the  chiefs  are 
deep  in  discussion  how  to  deal  with  you.” 


256  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

Then  Grettir  sang : 

‘ ‘ Shield-lifters  {men)  rubbing  of  noses, 
Shield-tempest-senders  {men)  shake  beards, 
Fierce-hearted  serpent’s-lair-scatterers  {men), 

Lay  their  heads  one  ’gainst  another, 

Now  that  they  know,  are  regretting 
The  peace  they  have  sworn  to  to-day.” 

In  these  staves  a number  of  periphrases  for  men 
or  warriors  are  used — and  the  use  of  these  peri- 
phrases constitute  the  charm  of  these  verses. 

Then  Hialti  of  Hof  burst  away  from  the  rest,  and 
said,  “No,  never,  never  shall  it  be  said  of  us  men  of 
Heron-ness,  that  we  have  broken  an  oath  because 
we  have  found  it  inconvenient  to  keep  it.  Grettir 
shall  be  at  full  liberty  to  go  to  his  place  in  peace, 
and  woe  betide  him  who  lays  hand  on  him,  to  do 
him  an  injury.  But  an  oath  no  longer  binds  us 
should  he  venture  ashore  again.” 

All  except  Thorbiorn  Hook,  Ilialti’s  brother, agreed 
to  this,  and  felt  their  minds  and  consciences  relieved, 
that  he  had  spoken  out  as  a man  of  honor.  And 
thus  Avas  seen  how  of  those  two  brothers,  rude  and 
violent  though  both  Avere,  Hialti  had  some  nobleness 
in  him  that  was  lacking  in  the  other. 

The  wrestling  began  by  Grettir  being  matched 
with  Thorbiorn  Hook,  and  after  a very  brief  struggle 
Grettir  freed  himself  from  his  antagonist,  leaped 
over  his  back,  caught  him  by  the  belt,  lifted  him  off 
his  legs,  and  flung  him  over  his  back.  This  is  a 
throw  called  “ shoAving  the  Avhite  mare,”  among 
Cornish  wrestlers  of  the  present  day,  and  a very 


OF  GRETTIR  ON  HERON-NESS.  257 

dangerous  throw  it  is,  for  it  sometimes  breaks  the 
back  of  the  man  thrown.  The  Hook,  however,  picked 
himself  up,  and  the  wrestling  continued  with  unabated 
vigor,  and  it  was  impossible  to  tell  which  side  had 
the  mastery,  for,  though  Grettir  was  matched  against 
both  brothers,  and  after  each  bout  with  one  brother 
fell  to  with  the  other,  he  was  never  thrown  down. 
After  all  three  were  covered  with  blood  and  bruises 
the  match  was  closed,  the  judges  deciding  that  the 
two  brothers  conjointly  were  not  stronger  than 
Grettir  alone,  though  they  were  each  of  them  as 
powerful  as  two  ordinary  able-bodied  men. 

Grettir  at  once  left  the  place  of  gathering,  reject- 
ing all  the  entreaties  of  the  farmers  that  he  would 
leave  Drangey.  And,  so,  after  all  but  The  Hook  had 
thanked  him  for  his  wrestling  and  praised  his  activ- 
ity and  strength,  he  departed.  He  was  put  across 
from  Reykir  to  his  island,  and  was  received  with 
open  arms  by  Illugi. 

There  now  they  abode  peaceably,  and  Grettir  told 
his  brother  and  his  churl  Glaum  the  story  of  what 
had  taken  place  at  the  assize,  and  thus  the  summer 
wore  away. 

There  was  much  talk  through  the  island  of  Iceland 
about  this  adventure,  and  all  good  men  approved  the 
conduct  of  the  men  of  the  Skagaliord  that  they  had 
kept  the  oath  they  had  so  inconsiderately  taken. 

17 


258 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

OF  HCEEING-’S  LEAP. 

The  smaller  farmers  began  seriously  to  feel  their 
■want  of  the  islet  Orangey  for  pasture  in  summer, 
and,  as  there  seemed  no  chance  of  their  getting  rid 
of  Grettir,  they  sold  their  rights  to  Thorbiorn  Hook 
who  set  himself  in  earnest  to  devise  a plan  by  which 
he  might  possess  himself  of  the  island. 

When  Grettir  had  been  two  winters  on  the  island, 
he  had  eaten  all  the  sheep  except  one  piebald  ram, 
with  magnificent  horns,  which  became  so  tame  that 
he  ran  after  them  wherever  they  went,  and  in  the 
evening  came  to  the  hut  Grettir  had  erected  and 
butted  at  the  door  till  let  in. 

Ttr  brothers  liked  this  place  of  exile,  as  there  was 
no  dearth  of  eggs  and  birds,  besides  which,  some 
drift-wood  was  thrown  upon  the  strand,  and  served 
as  fuel. 

Grettir  and  Illugi  spent  their  days  in  clambering 
among  the  rocks,  and  rifling  nests,  and  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  thrall  was  to  collect  drift  timber  and  keep 
up  the  fire  in  the  hut.  He  was  expected  to  remain 
awake  and  watch  the  fire  whilst  the  others  slept. 


OF  HCERING  S LEAP. 


259 


He  got  very  tired  of  his  life  on  the  islet,  became 
idle,  morose,  and  reserved.  One  night,  notwith- 
standing Grettir’s  warnings  to  him  to  be  more  care- 
ful as  they  had  no  boat,  he  let  the  fire  go  out. 
Grettir  was  very  angry,  and  told  Glaum  that  he 
deserved  a sound  thrashing  for  his  neglect.  The 
thrall  replied  that  he  loathed  the  life  he  led ; and 
that  it  seemed  it  was  not  enough  to  Grettir  that  he 
should  keep  him  there  as  a prisoner,  he  must  also 
maltreat  him.- 

Grettir  consulted  his  brother  what  was  best  to  be 
done,  and  Illugi  replied  that  the  only  thing  that  could 
be  done  was  to  await  the  arrival  of  a boat  from  the 
friendly  farmer  at  Reykir. 

“We  shall  have  to  wait  long  enough  for  that,” 
said  Grettir.  “ The  bonders  have  taken  it  ill  that 
he  has  favored  us,  and  he  is  now  unwilling  to  be 
seen  visiting  Drangey.  The  only  chance  is  for  me 
to  swim  ashore  and  secure  a light.” 

“ Do  not  attempt  that ! ” exclaimed  Illugi.  “ That 
is  what  you  did  in  Norway,  and  that  led  to  all  your 
misfortune.” 

“ This  case  is  different,”  answered  Grettir.  “ Then 
I brought  fire  for  ill-conditioned  men,  now  it  is  for 
ourselves.  Then  I knew  not  who  was  on  the  other 
side,  but  now  I can  get  the  fire  for  the  asking  from 
Thorwald.” 

“ But  the  distance  is  so  great ! ” remonstrated 

Illugi. 

“ Do  not  fear  for  me,”  said  Grettir  ; “ I was  not 
born  to  be  drowned.” 


26o 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


From  Drangey  to  Keykir  is,  as  already  said,  about 
five  English  miles. 

Grettir  prepared  for  swimming,  by  dressing  in 
loose  thin  drawers  and  a sealskin  hood ; he  tied  his 
fingers  together,  that  they  might  offer  more  resistance 
to  the  water  when  he  struck  out. 

The  day  was  fine  and  warm.  Grettir  started  in 
the  evening,  when  the  tide  was  in  his  favor,  setting 
in ; and  his  brother  anxiously  watched  him  from  the 
rocks.  At  sunset  he  reached  the  land,  after  having 
floated  and  swum  the  whole  distance.  Immediately 
on  coming  ashore,  he  went  to  the  warm  spring  and 
bathed  in  it,  before  entering  the  house.  The  hall 
door  was  open,  and  Grettir  stepped  in.  A large  fire 
had  been  burning  on  the  hearth,  so  that  the  room 
was  very  warm ; Grettir  was  so  thoroughly  exhausted 
that  he  lay  down  beside  the  hot  embers,  and  was 
soon  fast  asleep.  In  the  morning  he  was  found  by 
the  farmer’s  daughter,  wrho  gave  him  a bowl  of  milk, 
and  brought  her  father  to  him.  Thorwald  furnished 
him  with  fire,  and  rowed  him  back  to  the  island, 
astonished  beyond  measure  at  his  achievement,  in 
having  swum  such  a distance. 

blow,  the  farmers  on  the  Skagafiord  began  to  taunt 
Thorbiorn  Hook  with  his  unprofitable  purchase  of 
the  island,  and  Hook  was  greatly  irritated  and  per- 
plexed what  to  do. 

During  the  summer,  a ship  arrived  in  the  firth, 
the  captain  of  which  was  a young  and  active  man 
called  Hoering.  He  lodged  with  Thorbiorn  Hook 
during  the  autumn,  and  was  continually  urging  his 


OF  hcering’s  leap. 


261 


host  to  row  him  out  to  Drangey,  that  he  might  try 
to  climb  the  precipitous  sides  of  the  island.  The 
Hook  required  very  little  pressing ; and  one  fine 
afternoon  he  rowed  his  guest  out  to  Drangey,  and 
put  him  stealthily  ashore,  without  attracting  the 
notice  of  those  on  the  height.  For  in  some  places 
the  cliffs  overhung,  so  that  a boat  passing  beneath 
could  not  be  seen  from  above.  Now  Hoeing  had 
lain  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  covered  with  a piece 
of  sailcloth,  so  that  the  brothers  saw  nothing  of  him 
as  the  boat  was  approaching  the  islet. 

They  saw  and  recognized  Thorbiorn  Hook  and  his 
churls,  and  at  once  drew  up  the  ladder.  Now  it  was 
whilst  they  were  watching  at  the  landing-place  that 
Thorbiorn  put  Hoering  out  on  another  point,  where 
the  cliffs  seemed  possible  to  be  climbed  by  a very 
skilful  man,  and  then  came  on  to  the  usual  landing 
place,  and  there  shouted  to  Grettir.  Grettir  replied, 
and  then  Thorbiorn  began  the  usual  arguments  to 
persuade  the  outlaw  to  leave  the  isle.  He  promised 
to  give  him  shelter  in  his  house  the  winter,  if  he 
would  do  so.  All  was  in  vain.  What  he  sought 
was  to  divert  Grettir’s  attention  so  as  to  allow  time 
and  occasion  for  Hoering  to  climb  the  cliffs  unob- 
served and  unresisted. 

The  discussion  went  on  but  led  to  nothing.  In  the 
meantime  Hoering  had  managed  most  cleverly  to  get 
up  by  a way  never  ascended  by  man  before  or  after ; 
and  when  he  came  to  the  top  and  had  his  feet  on  the 
turf,  he  saw  where  the  brothers  stood  with  their 
backs  turned  towards  him,  and  he  thought  that  now 


262  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

an  opportunity  had  come  for  him  to  make  himself  a 
great  name.  G-rettir  suspected  nothing,  and  con- 
tinued talking  to  Thorbiorn,  who  was  getting,  or 
feigning  to  get,  angry,  and  used  big  and  violent 
words. 

Now,  as  luck  would  have  it,  Illugi  chanced  to 
turn  his  head,  and  he  saw  a man  approaching  from 
behind. 

Then  he  cried  out,  “ Brother ! Brother ! Here 
comes  a man  at.  us  with  uplifted  axe ! ” 

“You  go  after  him,”  said  Grettir.  “ I will  watch 
at  the  ladder.” 

So  Illugi  started  to  his  feet  and  went  to  meet 
Hoering,  and  when  the  young  merchant  saw  that  he 
was  discovered,  he  fled  away  across  the  islet,  and 
Illugi  went  after  him.  And  when  Hoering  came  to 
the  edge  he  leaped  down,  hoping  to  fall  into  the  sea ; 
but  he  had  missed  his  reckoning,  and  he  went  upon 
some  skerries  over  which  the  waves  tossed,  and  broke 
every  bone  in  his  body,  and  so  ended  his  life.  The 
spot  is  called  Hoering’s  Leap  to  this  day. 

Illugi  came  back,  and  Grettir  asked  him  what 
had  been  the  end  of  the  encounter.  Illugi  told  him. 

“ Now,  Thorbiorn,”  shouted  Grettir ; “ we  have 
had  enough  of  profitless  talk.  Go  round  to  the  other 
side  of  the  island  and  gather  up  the  remains  of  your 
friend.” 

The  Hook  pushed  off  from  the  strand  and  returned 
home,  ill  pleased  with  the  result  of  the  expedition, 
and  Grettir  remained  unmolested  on  Drangey  the 
ensuing  winter. 


THE  ATTEMPT  BY  GRETTIR’S  FRIENDS.  263 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

OP  THE  ATTEMPT  MADE  BY  GBETTIe’s  FRIENDS. 

The  ensuing  summer,  that  is  to  say,  the  summer 
of  1031,  at  the  great  annual  assize  at  Thingvalla,  all 
Grettir’s  kin  and  friends  brought  up  the  matter  of 
outlawry,  and  contended  that  he  ought  to  have 
his  sentence  done  away  with.  They  said  that  no 
man  could  be  an  outlaw  all  his  life,  that  was  not  a 
condition  contemplated  by  their  laws.  They  said 
that  he  had  been  outlawed  first  in  1011  for  the 
slaying  of  Skeggi,  and  that  he  had  been  in  outlawry 
ever  since,  which  made  nineteen  years. 

The  old  law-man  was  dead,  and  now  there  was 
another  at  the  assize,  Avhose  name  was  Stein.  He 
laid  down  that  no  man  might  by  law  be  in  outlawry 
more  than  twenty  years.  How,  when  they  came  to 
reckon  since  1011  it  was  nineteen  years.  It  was 
true  that  he  had  been  outlawed  thrice,  once  for 
Skeggi,  then  by  King  Olaf,  and  lastly  by  the  court 
for  the  burning  of  the  sons  of  Thorir  of  Garth,  still 
— the  fact  remained  that  for  nineteen  years  he  had 
been  an  outlaw,  and  Stein  laid  down  that  by  next 
assize,  that  is  to  say  in  one  year,  his  outlawry  would 
have  expired. 


264  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

Thereat  Grettir’s  kinsfolk  were  pleased,  for  they 
thought  that  he  would  only  have  to  spend  one  winter 
more  on  Drangey,  and  afterwards  his  troubles  would 
be  at  an  end  ; Thorir  of  Garth  and  his  other  foes 
could  no  more  pursue  him,  and  the  price  set  on  his 
head  would  fall  away. 

But  on  the  other  hand,  Thorir  of  Garth,  who  had 
not  become  more  charitable  and  forgiving  as  he  grew 
old,  became  still  more  incensed  and  impatient  to 
have  Grettir  killed  before  this  year  would  expire, 
also  Thorbiorn  Hook  cast  about  how  he  might  be 
avenged  for  the  deprivation  of  his  rights  over 
Drangey.  The  men  who  had  sold  their  claims  came 
to  Thorbiorn,  and  told  him  he  must  do  one  of  two 
things : get  rid  of  Grettir  and  assert  his  rights  by 
turning  out  sheep  on  the  islet,  or  they  would  regard 
the  sale  as  quashed,  by  his  non-usance  of  the  pasture, 
and  they  would  reclaim  their  shares  of  the  island  as 
soon  as  Grettir’s  outlawry  was  at  an  end,  and  he  left 
the  place. 


OF  THE  OLD  HAG. 


265 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

OF  THE  OLD  HAG. 

Now  it  was  so,  that  Thorbiorn  Hook  had  a foster- 
mother,  a woman  advanced  in  age,  and  of  a very 
malicious  disposition.  When  the  people  of  Iceland 
accepted  Christianity,  she,  in  her  heart,  remained 
a heathen,  and  would  not  be  baptized  and  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  the  new  religion.  She  had  always 
been  reckoned  a witch,  but  with  the  introduction 
of  Christianity,  witchcraft  had  been  made  illegal, 
and  any  one  who  had  recourse  to  sorcery  was  severely 
dealt  with.  The  old  woman  had  not  forgotten  her 
incantations  and  strange  ceremonies,  whereby  she 
thought  to  be  able  to  conjure  the  spirits  of  evil,  and 
send  ill  on  such  as  offended  her. 

When  Thorbiorn  Hook  found  that  he  could  con- 
trive in  no  way  to  get  Grettir  out  of  Drangey,  and 
when  he  saw  that  if  his  expulsion  were  delayed,  and 
Grettir  left  of  his  own  accord,  he  would  forfeit  the 
money  he  had  paid  for  the  rights  of  pasturage  on  the 
island,  he  went  to  his  foster-mother,  and  told  her 
his  difficulty,  and  pretty  plainly  let  her  understand 
that  as  he  could  get  help  nowhere  else,  he  did  not 
mind  having  recourse  to  the  black  art. 


266 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


“ Ah  ! ” cackled  she,  “ I see  how  it  is,  when  all  else 
fails,  man’s  arms  and  man’s  wit,  then  you  come  to 
the  bed-ridden  crone  and  seek  her  aid.  Well,  I will 
assist  you  to  the  best  of  my  power,  on  one  condition, 
and  that  is,  that  you  obey  me  without  questioning.” 
The  Hook  agreed  to  what  she  said,  and  so  all 
rested  till  August  without  the  matter  being  again 
alluded  to. 

Then  one  beautiful  day  the  hag  said  to  Thorbiorn, 
“ Foster-son,  the  sea  is  calm  and  the  sky  bright,  what 
say  you  to  our  rowing  over  to  Drangey  and  stirring 
up  the  old  strife  with  Grettir  ? I will  go  with  you 
and  hear  what  he  says,  then  I shall  be  able  to  judge 
what  fate  lies  before  him,  and  I can  death  doom  him 
accordingly.” 

The  Hook  answered,  “ It  is  waste  of  labor  going 
out  to  Drangey.  I have  been  there  several  times 
and  never  return  better  off  than  when  I went.” 

“ You  promised  to  obey  me  without  questioning,” 
said  the  crone.  “ Follow  my  advice  and  all  will  be 
well  for  you  and  ill  for  Grettir.” 

“ I will  do  as  you  bid  me,  foster-mother,”  said 
Thorbiorn,  “ though  I had  sworn  not  to  go  back  to 
Drangey  till  I was  sure  I could  work  the  bane  of 
Grettir.” 

“ That  man  is  not  laid  low  hastily,  and  patience 
is  needed  ; but  his  time  will  come,  and  may  be  close 
at  hand.  What  the  end  of  this  visit  will  be  I can- 
not say.  It  is  hid  from  me,  but  I know  very  well 
that  it  will  lead  to  his  or  to  your  destruction.” 
Thorbiorn  ran  out  a long  boat,  and  entered  it 


OF  THE  OLD  HAG. 


267 

with  twelve  men.  The  hag  sat  in  the  bows  coiled 
up  amongst  rugs  and  wadmal.  When  they  reached 
the  island,  at  once  Grettir  and  Illugi  ran  to  the 
ladder,  and  Thorbiorn  again  asked  if  Grettir  would 
come  to  his  house  for  the  winter. 

Grettir  made  the  same  reply  as  before,  “ Do  what 
you  will,  in  this  spot  I await  my  fate.” 

Now  Thorbiorn  saw  that  this  expedition  also  was 
likely  to  be  resultless,  and  he  became  very  angry. 
“ I see,”  he  said,  “ that  I have  to  do  with  an  ill-con- 
ditioned churl,  who  does  not  know  how  to  accept  a 
good  offer  when  made.  I shall  not  come  here  again 
with  such  an  offer.” 

“ That  pleases  me  well,”  said  Grettir,  “ for  you  and 
I are  not  like  to  come  to  terms  that  will  satisfy  both.” 
At  that  moment  the  hag  began  to  wriggle  out  of 
her  wraps  in  the  bows.  Grettir  had  not  perceived 
her  hitherto.  Now  she  screamed  out,  “ These  men 
may  be  strong,  but  their  strength  is  ebbing.  They 
may  have  had  luck,  but  luck  has  left.  See  what  a 
difference  there  is  between  men.  Thorbiorn  makes 
good  offers,  and  such  they  blindly,  foolishly  reject. 
Those  who  are  blinded  and  cast  away  chances  do 
not  have  chances  come  to  them  again.  And  now 
Grettir  ” — she  raised  her  withered  arms  over  her  head 
— “ I doom  you  to  all  ill,  I doom  you  to  loss  of  health, 
to  loss  of  wisdom  and  of  foresight.  I doom  you  to 
decline  and  to  death.  I doom  your  blood  to  fester, 
and  your  brain  to  be  clouded.  I doom  your  marrow 
to  curdle  and  chill.  Henceforth,  so  is  my  doom,  all 
good  things  will  wane  from  you,  and  all  evil  things 


268 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


will  wax-  and  overwhelm  you.  So  be  it.”  As  she 
spoke  a shudder  ran  over  Grettir’s  limbs,  and  he 
asked  who  that  imp  was  in  the  boat.  Illugi  told 
him  he  fancied  it  must  be  that  old  heathen  woman 
the  foster-mother  of  Thorbiorn  Hook. 

“ Since  the  powers  of  evil  are  with  our  foes,”  said 
Grettir,  “ how  may  we  oppose  them  ? Never  before 
has  anything  so  shaken  me  with  presentiment  of  evil 
as  have  the  curses  of  this  witch.  But  she  shall  have 
a reminder  of  her  visit  to  Drangey.” 

Thereupon  he  snatched  up  a large  stone  and  threw 
it  at  the  boat,  and  it  fell  on  the  bundle  of  rags,  in 
the  midst  of  which  lay  the  old  hag.  As  it  struck 
there  rose  a wild  shriek  from  the  witch,  for  the  stone 
had  hit  and  broken  her  leg. 

“ Brother  ! ” exclaimed  Illugi,  “ you  should  not 
have  done  this.” 

“ Blame  me  not,”  answered  Grettir  gloomily.  “ It 
had  been  well  had  the  stone  fallen  on  her  head.  But 
I trow  the  working  of  her  curse  is  begun,  and  what 
I have  done  has  been  because  my  understanding  and 
wit  are  already  clouded.” 

On  the  return  of  Thorbiorn  to  the  mainland  the 
crone  was  put  to  bed,  and  The  Hook  was  less  pleased 
than  ever  with  his  trip  to  the  island.  His  foster- 
mother,  however,  consoled  him. 

“ Do  not  be  discouraged,”  she  said.  “ Now  is 
come  the  turning-point  of  Grettir’s  fortunes,  and 
his  luck  will  leave  him  more  and  more  as  the  light 
dies  away  up  to  Yule.  But  the  light  dies  and  comes 
again.  "With  Grettir  it  will  not  be  so,  it  will  die, 
and  die,  till  it  goes  out  in  endless  night.” 


OF  THE  OLD  HAG.  269 

“ You  are  a confident  woman,  foster-mother,”  said 
Thorbiorn. 

When  a month  had  elapsed,  the  old  woman  was 
able  to  leave  her  bed,  and  to  limp  across  the  room. 

One  day  she  asked  to  be  led  down  to  the  beach. 
Thorbiorn  gave  her  his  arm,  and  she  had  her  crutch, 
and  she  hobbled  down  to  where  the  water  was  lap- 
ping on  the  shingle.  And  there,  just  washed  up  on 
the  beach,  lay  a log  of  drift-timber,  just  large  enough 
for  a man  to  carry  upon  his  shoulder.  Then  she 
gave  command  that  the  log  should  be  rolled  over 
and  over  that  she  might  examine  each  side.  The 
log  on  one  side  seemed  to  have  been  charred,  and 
she  sent  to  the  house  for  a plane,  and  had  the  burnt 
wood  smoothed  away. 

When  that  was  done  she  dismissed  every  one  save 
her  foster-son,  and  then  with  a long  knife  she  cut 
runes  on  the  wood  where  it  had  been  planed — that 
is  to  say,  words  written  in  the  peculiar  characters 
made  of  strokes  which  Odin  was  supposed  to  have 
invented.  Then  she  cut  herself  on  the  arm,  and 
smeared  the  letters  she  had  cut  with  her  blood. 
After  that  she  rose  and  began  to  leap  and  dance, 
screaming  a wild  spell  round  the  log,  making  the 
most  strange  and  uncouth  contortions,  and  waving 
her  crutch  in  the  air,  making  with  it  mysterious 
signs  over  the  log.  Presently,  when  the  incanta- 
tion was  over,  she  ordered  the  log  to  be  rolled  back 
into  the  sea.  The  tide  was  now  ebbing,  and  with 
the  tide  the  log  went  out  to  sea  further  and  further 
from  land  till  Thorbiorn  saw  it  no  more. 


270 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

HOW  THE  LOG  CAME  TO  DEAN GET. 

In  the  meantime  Grettir,  Illugi,  and  the  churl 
Glaum  were  on  Drangey  catching  fish  and  fowl  for 
winter  supplies.  The  fish  in  Iceland  are  beaten 
hard  with  stones  and  then  dried  in  the  wind,  that 
makes  them  like  leather ; but  it  preserves  them  for 
a very  long  time,  and  they  form  the  staple  of  food, 
as  the  people  have  no  corn,  and  consequently  no 
bread.  They  put  butter  on  these  dry  fish,  and  tear 
them  with  their  teeth.  "What  Grettir  did  with  the 
fowl  he  caught  was  to  pickle  them  Avith  salt  Avater 
from  the  sea,  and  Avhen  the  frost  and  snoAv  came  on 
then  he  Avould  take  them  out  of  pickle  and  freeze 
them.  Now,  theAvhole  of  the  sheep  had  been  eaten 
some  time  ago,  except  the  old  mottled  ram,  which 
Grettir  could  not  find  in  his  heart  to  kill ; and,  as 
may  be  supposed,  he  and  his  brother  suffered  from 
Avant  of  change  of  food.  Especially  deficient  Avere 
they  in  any  green  food ; and  Ave  knoAAr,  though  he 
did  not,  that  the  eating  of  green  food  is  a very 
essential  element  of  health.  He  had  nothing  for 
consumption  but  salted  birds  and  dried  fish — no 


HOW  THE  LOG  CAME  TO  DRANGEY.  2^1 

milk,  no  bread,  no  vegetables.  Such  a diet  was 
certain  to  disorder  his  health. 

The  day  after  that  on  which  the  hag  had  charmed 
the  piece  of  timber,  the  two  brothers  were  walking 
on  the  little  strand  to  the  west  of  the  island  looking 
for  drift-wood. 

“ Here  is  a fine  beam  ! ” exclaimed  Illugi.  “Help 
me  to  lift  it  on  to  my  shoulder,  and  I will  carry  it 
up  the  ladder.” 

Grettir  spurned  the  log  with  his  foot,  saying,  “ I 
do  not  like  the  looks,  of  it,  little  brother.  Runes 
are  cut  on  it,  and  what  they  portend  I do  not  know. 
There  may  be  written  there  something  that  may 
bring  ill.  Who  can  tell  but  this  log  may  have  been 
sent  with  ill  wishes  against  us.”  They  set  the  log 
adrift,  and  Grettir  warned  his  brother  not  to  bring 
it  to  their  fire. 

In  the  evening  they  returned  to  their  cabin,  and 
nothing  was  said  about  the  log  to  Glaum.  Hpxt 
day  they  found  the  same  beam  washed  up  not  far 
from  the  foot  of  the  ladder.  Grettir  was  dissatisfied, 
and  again  he  thrust  it  from  the  shore,  saying  that 
he  hoped  they  had  seen  the  last  of  it,  and  that  the 
stream  and  tide  would  catch  it  and  waft  it  elsewhere. 
And  now  the  equinoctial  gales  began  to  rage.  The 
fine  Martinmas  summer  was  over.  The  weather 
changed  to  storm  and  rain  ; and  so  bad  was  it  that 
the  three  men  remained  indoors  till  their  supply  of 
firewood  was  exhausted. 

Then  Grettir  ordered  the  thrall  to  search  the 
shore  for  fuel.  Glaum  started  up  with  an  angry  re- 


272  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

monstrance  that  the  weather  was  not  such  as  a dog 
should  be  turned  out  in,  with  unreason,  not  con- 
sidering that  a fire  was  as  necessary  to  him  as  to 
his  master.  He  went  to  the  ladder,  crawled  down 
it,  and  found  the  same  beam  cast  at  its  very  foot. 

Glad  not  to  have  to  go  far  in  his  search,  Glaum 
shouldered  the  log,  crept  up  the  ladder,  bore  it  to 
the  hut,  and  throwing  open  the  door,  cast  it  down 
in  the  midst. 

Grettir  jumped  up,  “Well  done,”  said  he,  “you 
have  been  quick  in  your  quest.” 

“ How  I have  brought  it,  you  must  chop  it  up,” 
said  Glaum.  “ I have  done  my  part.” 

Grettir  took  his  ax.  The  fire  was  low  and  wanted 
replenishing,  and  without  paying  much  attention  to 
the  log,  he  swung  his  ax  and  brought  it  down  on 
the  log.  But  the  wood  was  wet  and  greasy  with 
sea-weed,  and  the  ax  slipped,  glanced  off  the  beam, 
and  cut  into  Grettir’s  leg  below  the  knee,  on  the 
shin,  with  such  force  that  it  stuck  in  the  bone. 

Grettir  looked  at  the  beam ; the  fire  leaped  up, 
and  by  its  light  the  runic  inscription  on  it  was 
visible.  Grettir  at  once  saw  evil.  “ The  worst  is 
come  upon  us,”  he  said  sadly,  as  he  cast  the  ax 
away,  and  threw  himself  down  by  the  fire.  “ This 
is  the  same  log  that  I have  twice  rejected.  Glaum, 
you  have  done  us  two  ill  turns,  first  when  you 
neglected  the  fire  and  let  it  go  out,  and  now  in  that 
you  have  brought  this  beam  to  us.  Beware  how 
you  commit  a third,  for  that  I foresee  will  be  your 
bane  as  well  as  ours.” 


HOW  THE  LOG  CAME  TO  DRANGEY.  273 

Illugi  bound  up  his  brother’s  wound  with  rag ; 
there  was  but  a slight  flow  of  blood,  but  it  was  an 
ugly  gash.  That  night  Grettir  slept  soundly..  For 
three  days  and  nights  he  was  without  pain,  and  the 
wound  seemed  to  be  healing  healthily,  the  skin  to 
be  forming  over  it. 

“ My  dear  brother,”  said  Illugi,  “ I do  not  think 
that  this  cut  will  trouble  you  long.” 

“ I hope  not,”  answered  Grettir.  “ But  none  can 
see  where  a road  leads  till  they  have  gone  through 
to  the  end.” 

On  the  fourth  evening  they  laid  them  down  to 
sleep  as  usual.  About  midnight  the  lad,  Illugi, 
awoke  hearing  Grettir  tossing  in  his  bed  as  though 
suffering. 

“ Why  are  you  so  uneasy  ? ” asked  the  boy. 

Grettir  replied  that  he  felt  great  pain  in  his  leg, 
and  he  thought,  he  said,  that  some  change  must 
have  taken  place  in  the  condition  of  the  wound. 

Illugi  at  once  blew  up  the  embers  on  the  hearth 
into  a flame,  and  by  its  light  examined  his  brother’s 
leg.  He  found  that  the  foot  was  swollen  and  dis- 
colored, and  that  the  wound  had  reopened,  and 
looked  far  more  angry  than  he  had  seen  it  yet. 
Intense  pain  ensued,  so  that  poor  Grettir  could  not 
remain  quiet  for  a moment,  but  tossed  from  side  to 
side.  His  cheeks  were  fevered,  and  his  tongue 
parched.  He  could  obtain  no  sleep  at  all. 

Illugi  never  left  him,  he  sat  beside  him  holding 
his  hand,  or  bringing  him  water  to  slake  his  un- 
quenchable thirst. 

18 


274 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


“ The  worst  approaches,  and  there  is  no  avoiding 
it,”  said  Grettir.  “ This  sickness  is  sent  by  the  old 
witch  in  revenge  for  the  stone  I had  cast  at  her.” 

“ I misliked  the  casting  of  that  stone,”  said  Illugi. 
“ It  was  ill  that  it  did  not  fall  on  her  head,”  said 
Grettir.  u But  what  is  done  may  not  be  undone.” 
Then  he  heaved  himself  up  into  a sitting  posture 
and  sang,  supporting  himself  against  his  brother’s 
shoulder,  a lay,  of  which  only  fragments  have  come 
down  to  us.  A good  deal  of  the  lay  refers  to  inci- 
dents in  Grettir’s  life,  of  which  no  record  remains  in 
the  saga,  and  many  staves  have  fallen  away  and 
been  lost.  So  we  give  but  a few  verses  : — 

“ I fought  with  the  sword  in  the  bye-gone  day, 

In  the  day  when  I was  young ; 

When  the  Rovers  I slew  in  old  Norway, 

The  land  with  my  action  rung. 

u I entered  the  grave  of  Karr  the  Old, 

I rived  his  sword  away  ; 

I strove  with  the  Troll  at  Thorod’s-stead, 

Before  the  break  of  day. 

“ With  Thorbiorn  Oxmain  in  the  marsh 
I fought,  and  his  blood  I shed  ; 

Against  Thorir  of  Garth  have  I stood  in  arms, 

Who  long  would  have  me  dead. 

€t  For  nineteen  years,  I a hunted  man, 

On  mountain,  on  moor,  and  fen ; 

For  nineteen  years  had  to  shun  and  flee 
The  face  of  my  fellow  men, 


HOW  THE  LOG  CAME  TO  ORANGEY.  275 

“For  nineteen  years  all  bitter  to  bear 
Both  hunger  and  cold  and  pain  ; 

And  never  to  know  when  I laid  me  down, 

If  I might  awake  again. 

“ And  now  do  I lie  with  a burning  eye, 

As  a wolf  is  fain  to  die  ; 

Whilst  the  skies  are  dripping  and  ocean  roars, 

And  the  winds  sob  sadly  by — ” 

The  song  was  probably  composed  before,  as  other- 
wise it  is  not  easy  to  account  for  its  preservation. 
His  head  was  burning,  his  thoughts  wandered,  and 
he  ceased  singing.  He  seemed  to  be  dozing  off.  But 
presently  he  started  and  shivered,  and  looked  hastily 
about  him. 

“ Let  us  be  cautious  now,’5  he  said,  “ for  Thorbiorn 
Hook  will  make  another  attempt.  To  me  it  matters 
little — but  to  you,  brother.  Glaum,  watch  the 
ladder  by  day,  and  draw  it  up  at  night.  Be  a faith- 
ful servant,  for  now  all  depends  on  you.  Illugi  will 
not  leave  me,  so  we  are  in  your  hands.” 


276 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTEE  XLI. 

THE  END  OF  THE  OUTLAW. 

The  weather  became  daily  worse,  and  a fierce 
northeast  wind  raged  over  the  country,  bearing  with 
it  cold  and  sleet,  and  covering  the  fells  with  the  first 
snows  of  winter.  G-rettir  inquired  every  night  if 
the  ladder  had  been  drawn  up,  according  to  order. 
Glaum  answered  churlishly,  “ How  can  you  expect 
folk  to  live  out  in  such  a storm  as  this  ? Do  you 
think  they  are  so  eager  to  kill  you  that  they  will 
jeopardize  their  lives  in  trying  to  do  this  ? It  is  easy 
to  see  that  a little  cut  was  all  that  lacked  to  let  your 
courage  leak  out.” 

Grettir  answered,  “ Go ! and  do  not  argue  with 
us ; guard  the  ladder  as  you  have  been  bidden ! ” 

So  Illugi  drove  the  churl  from  the  hut  every 
morning,  notwithstanding  his  angry  remonstrances  ; 
and  Glaum  was  in  the  worst  of  humors. 

The  pain  became  more  acute,  and  the  whole  leg 
inflamed  and  swollen,  signs  of  mortification  appeared, 
and  wounds  opened  in  different  parts  of  the  limb,  so 
that  Grettir  felt  that  the  shadow  of  death  hung  over 
him.  Illugi  sat  night  and  day  with  his  brother’s 
head  on  his  shoulder,  bathing  his  forehead,  and  doing 


THE  END  OF  THE  OUTLAW.  277 


his  utmost  to  console  the  fleeting  spirit.  A week 
had  elapsed  since  the  wound  had  been  made. 

Now,  Thorbiorn  Hook  was  at  home,  ill-pleased  at 
the  failure  of  all  his  schemes  for  dispossessing  Grettir 
of  the  island. 

One  day  his  foster-mother  came  to  him,  and  asked 
whether  he  were  ready  now  to  pay  his  final  visit  to 
the  outlaw  ? 

Thorbiorn  replied  that  he  had  paid  quite  as  many 
visits  to  him  as  he  liked,  and  that  he  should  not  go 
to  Drangey  again  till  Grettir  left  it ; and  then,  with 
a sneer  he  asked  his  foster-mother  whether  she 
wanted  to  have  her  second  leg  broken,  and  was  not 
satisfied  with  the  fracture  of  one. 

“ I will  not  go  to  Drangey  myself,”  answered  the 
old  woman.  “ That  is  unnecessary.  I have  sent  him 
my  salutation,  and  by  this  he  has  received  it.  Speed 
away  now  to  Drangey,  and  find  how  he  relishes  my 
message.  But  I warn  you,  you  must  go  now  or  you 
will  be  too  late.” 

Thorbiorn  would  not  listen ; he  said  that  her 
advice  last  time  had  led  to  no  advantage  when  he 
followed  it,  and  that  the  weather  was  too  bad  to  go 
out  in. 

“ You  need  go  but  this  once,”  said  the  crone. 
“ The  storm  is  of  my  sending,  and  is  sent  to  work 
my  ends.” 

Finally  he  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded.  So 
he  got  together  men,  and  asked  his  neighbors  to 
help  him;  and  a large  vessel  was  manned.  That 
is  to  say,  the  other  farmers  consented  to  lend  him 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


278 

men,  but  none  of  them  would  accompany  him  them- 
selves. The  Hook  took  twelve  of  his  own  men  ; his 
brother,  Hialti,  lent  him  three ; Erick  of  Good-dale 
sent  one  man  ; Tongue-stone  furnished  him  with 
two ; another,  named  Halldor,  let  him  have  six.  Of 
all  these,  the  only  two  whose  name  need  be  men- 
tioned are  Karr  and  Yikarr. 

Thorbiorn  got  a large  sailing-boat  for  his  purpose, 
and  started  from  Heron-ness.  None  of  the  men 
were  in  good  spirits,  as  the  weather  was  bad  ; more- 
over, they  had  no  liking  for  their  leader.  By  dusk 
the  boat  was  afloat,  the  sail  spread,  and  they  ran 
out  to  sea.  As  the  wind  was  from  the  northeast, 
they  were  under  the  lee  of  the  high  cliffs,  and  were 
not  exposed  to  the  full  violence  of  the  storm. 

Heavy  scuds  of  rain  and  sleet  swept  the  fiord  ; 
the  sky  was  overcast  with  whirling  masses  of  vapor ; 
charged  with  snow,  and  beneath  their  shadow  the 
waters  of  the  firth  were  black  as  ink.  For  one 
moment  the  clouds  were  parted  by  the  storm,  the 
rowers  looked  up,  and  saw  the  heavens  tinged  with 
the  crimson  rays  of  the  northern  light.  A flame 
ran  along  the  cordage,  and  finally  settled  on  the 
masthead  of  the  vessel,  swaying  and  dancing  with 
the  motion  of  the  boat.  It  was  that  electric  spark, 
which  is  called  in  the  Mediterranean  St.  Elmo’s  fire. 

A line  of  white  foam  marked  the  base  of  Drangey ; 
and  now  and  then  a great  wave  from  the  mouth  of 
the  fiord  boomed  against  the  crags,  and  shot  in 
spouts  of  foam  high  into  the  air.  Along  the  western 
shore  of  the  firth,  which  was  exposed  to  the  full 


THE  END  OF  THE  OUTLAW.  279 

brunt  of  the  gale,  the  mighty  billows  were  beaten 
into  white  yeasty  heaps  of  water.  From  the  top  of 
Drangey  one  tiny  spark  shone  from  the  window  of 
the  hovel  where  lay  the  dying  outlaw. 

Now  let  us  look  again  at  Grettir. 

He  had  been  in  less  pain  that  day.  Illugi  had  not 
left  him,  but  remained  faithful  at  his  post. 

The  thrall  Glaum,  had  been  sent  out  as  usual  to 
collect  fuel  and  to  watch  the  ladder,  and  to  draw  it 
up  at  nightfall.  But  instead  of  doing  as  he  was  bid- 
den, the  fellow  laid  himself  down  at  the  head  of  the 
steps,  under  a shelter-hut  of  turf  that  had  been  there 
erected,  and  went  to  sleep. 

When  Thorbiorn  and  his  party  reached  the  shore, 
they  found  to  their  content  that  the  ladder  had  not 
been  removed. 

“ Good  luck  attends  on  those  who  wait,”  said  The 
Hook.  “ Now,  my  fellows ! the  journey  will  not 
prove  as  bootless  as  you  expected.  Up  the  ladder 
with  you  ! and  let  us  all  be  cautious  and  bold  ! ” 

So  they  ascended,  one  after  the  other,  The  Hook 
taking  the  lead.  On  reaching  the  top  he  looked  into 
the  shelter-hut,  and  there  found  Glaum,  asleep  and 
snoring.  Thorbiorn  struck  him  over  the  shoulders, 
and  asked  him  who  he  was. 

Glaum  turned  on  his  side,  rubbed  his  eyes,  and 
growled  forth,  “Can  you  not  leave  a poor  wretch 
alone  ? Never  was  a man  so  ill-treated  as  am  I.  I 
may  not  even  sleep  out  here  in  the  cold. 

The  Hook  then  knew  who  this  was.  “ Fool ! ” 
shouted  he.  “ Look  up,  and  see  who  are  come.  We 


280  grettir  the  outlaw. 

are  your  foes,  and  intend  to  kill  every  one  of 
you.” 

Glaum  started  now  to  his  feet  full  awake,  and 
shrieked  with  dismay  when  he  saw  the  black  figures 
crowding  up  from  the  ladder  and  surrounding  him. 

“ Make  no  noise,”  said  Thorbiorn  Hook.  “ I give 
you  the  choice  of  two  things ; answer  the  questions 
I put  to  you  truthfully,  or  die  at  once.” 

The  churl  answered  sullenly  that  he  would  speak, 
and  he  had  nothing  to  conceal. 

“ Then  tell  me  where  the  brothers  are  ? ” 

“ In  the  hovel  I left  them,  where  there  is  a fire. 
Not  out  in  the  cold.  Grettir  is  sick  and  nigh  on 
death,  and  Illugi  is  with  him.” 

The  Hook  asked  for  particulars,  and  then  Glaum 
told  him  about  the  log,  and  how  Grettir  was  wounded. 
Thereat  the  Hook  burst  out  laughing,  and  said, 
“ Woe  to  the  man  that  leans  on  a churl ! That  is  a 
true  proverb.  Shamefully  have  you  betrayed  your 
trust,  Glaum.” 

Thereupon  Glaum  was  dragged  along  to  the  cabin 
where  Grettir  lay,  and  they  treated  him  so  roughly, 
that  what  with  their  blows  and  what  with  fear,  he 
was  nearly  senseless  when  he  reached  it. 

Illugi  had  been  sitting  by  the  fire  with  his  brother’s 
head  in  his  lap,  whilst  Grettir  lay  in  some  sheep- 
skins beside  the  hearth.  All  that  evening  the  sick 
man’s  eyes  had  been  wandering  about  the  roof, 
watching  the  light  play  among  the  rafters,  as  the 
firewood  blazed  up  or  smoldered  away.  Illugi  saw 
that  his  fingers  plucked  at  the  wool  of  the  sheep- 


THE  END  OF  THE  OUTLAW. 


281 


skins,  riving  it  out,  and  that  he  knew  was  a bad  sign. 
He  felt  sure  that  Grettir  would  die  that  night,  and 
he  watched  his  face  intently,  and  could  not  bear  to 
withdraw  his  eyes  from  him,  for  he  loved  him  dearly. 
Presently  Grettir  turned  his  head,  and  smiled  when 
he  saw  how  he  was  watching  him,  and  said  that  he 
felt  easier,  and  would  sleep.  In  a few  moments  his 
eyes  closed. 

As  he  dozed,  his  face  became  calmer  than  Illugi 
had  seen  it  before;  the  muscles  relaxed,  and  the 
wrinkles  furrowed  in  his  brow  by  care  and  suffering 
were  now  smoothed  quite  away.  Grettir’s  face  was 
never  handsome,  but  it  was  grave  and  earnest,  and 
the  sorrow  and  trial  he  had  passed  through  had  left 
its  traces  on  his  features.  His  breath  now  came  more 
evenly  in  sleep. 

All  at  once  there  sounded  a crash  at  the  door,  and 
the  sleeper  opened  his  eyes  dreamily. 

“ It  is  only  the  old  ram,  brother,”  said  Illugi. 

<c  He  is  butting,  because  he  wants  to  come  in.” 

“ He  butts  hard ! he  butts  hard  ! ” muttered 
Grettir,  and  at  that  moment  the  door  burst  open. 
They  saw  faces  looking  in. 

Illugi  was  on  his  feet  in  a moment.  He  seized  his 
sword,  flew  to  the  doorway  and  defended  it  bravely, 
so  that  no  one  could  pass  through. 

Thorbiorn  called  to  some  of  the  men  to  get  upon  the 
roof,  and  he  was  obeyed.  The  hovel  was  low,  and 
in  a moment  four  or  five  were  on  the  top  of  it  tearing 
off  the  turf  that  covered  it.  Grettir  tried  to  rise  to 
his  feet,  but  could  only  stagger  to  his  knees.  He 


282 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


seized  his  spear  and  drove  it  through  the  roof,  so 
that  it  struck  Karr  in  the  breast,  and  the  wound 
was  his  death. 

Thorbiorn  Hook  called  to  the  men  to  act  more 
warily — they  were  twenty-five  in  all  against  two 
men,  and  one  dying. 

So  the  men  pulled  at  the  gable  ends  of  the  house 
and  got  the  ridge-piece  out,  that  it  broke  and  fell, 
and  with  it  a shower  of  turfs,  into  the  hut. 

Grettir  drew  his  short-sword — the  sword  he  had 
taken  from  the  barrow  of  Karr  the  Old — and 
smote  at  the  men  as  they  leaped  upon  him  from  the 
wall.  With  one  blow  he  struck  Yikarr  over  the 
left  shoulder,  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  springing 
down.  The  sword  cut  off  his  arm.  But  the  blow  was 
so  violent,  that  Grettir,  having  dealt  it,  fell  forward, 
and  before  he  could  raise  himself  Thorbiorn  Hook 
struck  him  between  the  shoulders,  and  made  a fear- 
ful wound. 

Then  cried  Grettir,  “ Bare  is  the  back  without 
brother  behind  it ! ” and  instantly  Illugi  threw  his 
shield  over  him,  planted  one  foot  on  each  side  of  him 
as  he  lay  on  the  floor,  and  defended  him  with  des- 
perate courage. 

The  mist  of  death  was  in  Grettir’s  eyes ; he  at- 
tempted in  vain  to  raise  himself,  but  sank  again  on 
the  sheep-skins,  which  were  now  drenched  in  blood. 

Ho  one  could  touch  him,  for  the  brave  boy  warded 
off  every  blow  that  was  aimed  at  his  brother. 

Then  Thorbiorn  Hook  ordered  his  men  to  form  a 
ring  round  and  close  in  on  them  with  their  shields 


THE  END  OF  THE  OUTLAW.  283 

and  with  beams.  They  did  so,  and  Illugi  was  taken 
and  bound ; but  not  till  he  had  wounded  most  of  his 
opponents,  and  had  killed  three  of  Thorbiorn’s  men. 

“ Never  have  I seen  one  braver  of  your  age,”  said 
The  Hook.  “ I will  say  that  you  have  fought  well.” 

Then  they  went  to  Grettir,  who  lay  where  he  had 
fallen,  unable  to  resist  further,  for  he  had  lost  con- 
sciousness. They  dealt  him  many  a blow,  but 
hardly  any  blood  flowed  from  his  wounds.  "When 
all  supposed  he  was  dead,  then  Thorbiorn  tried  to 
disengage  the  sword  from  his  cold  fingers,  saying 
that  he  considered  Grettir  had  wielded  it  long 
enough.  But  the  strong  man’s  hand  was  clenched 
around  the  handle  so  firmly  that  his  enemy  could 
not  free  the  sword  from  his  grasp. 

Several  of  the  men  came  up,  and  tried  to  unweave 
the  fingers,  but  were  unable  to  do  so.  Then  the 
Hook  said,  “ Why  should  we  spare  this  wretched 
outlaw  ? Off  with  his  hand ! ” And  his  men  held 
down  the  arm  whilst  Thorbiorn  hewed  off  the  hand 
at  the  wrist  with  his  ax. 

After  that,  standing  over  the  body,  and  grasping 
the  hilt  of  the  sword  in  both  hands,  he  smote  at 
Grettir’s  head ; the  edge  of  the  blade  was  notched 
by  the  blow. 

“ Look  ? ” laughed  Thorboirn.  “ This  notch  will 
be  famous  in  story  for  many  generations  ; for  men 
will  point  to  it  and  say,  ‘ This  was  made  by  Grettir’s 
skull.”  ’ He  struck  twice  and  thrice  at  the  outlaw’s 
neck,  till  the  head  came  off  in  his  hands. 

“ Now  have  I slain  a notable  man ! ” exclaimed 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


284 

Thorbiorn.  “ I will  take  this  head  with  me  to  land, 
and  claim  the  price  that  was  set  on  it ; and  none 
shall  deny  that  it  was  my  hand  that  slew  that 
Grettir  whom  all  else  feared.” 

The  men  present  said  he  might  say  what  he  liked, 
but  they  believed  Grettir  was  already  dead  when 
he  smote  him. 

Thorbiorn  now  turned  to  Illugi,  and  said,  “ It  is 
a pity  that  a brave  lad  like  you  should  die,  because 
you  are  associated  with  outlaws  and  evildoers.” 

“ I tell  you  this,”  said  Illugi,  “ that  I will  appear 
before  you  at  the  great  assize,  and  there  will  charge 
you  with  having  practiced  witchcraft  to  effect  my 
brother’s  death.” 

“You  hearken  to  me,  boy,”  said  Thorbiorn.  “ Put 
your  hand  to  mine,  and  swear  that  you  will  not 
seek  to  avenge  the  death  of  your  brother,  and  I will 
let  you  go ; but  if  you  will  not  take  this  oath,  you 
shall  die.” 

“ And  hearken  to  me,  Thorbiorn,”  said  Illugi. 
“ If  I live,  but  one  thought  shall  occupy  my  heart 
night  and  day,  and  that  will  be  how  I may  best 
avenge  my  brother.  Now  that  you  know  what  to 
expect  of  me — take  what  course  you  will.” 

Thorbiorn  drew  his  companions  aside  to  ask  their 
advice ; but  they  shrugged  their  shoulders,  and  re- 
plied that,  as  he  had  planned  the  expedition,  he 
must  carry  it  out  as  he  thought  best. 

“Well,”  said  The  Hook,  “I  have  no  fancy  for 
having  the  young  viper  lying  in  wait  to  sting  me 
wherever  I tread.  He  shall  die,” 


THE  END  OF  THE  OUTLAW.  285 

Now , when  Illugi  knew  that  they  had  determined 
on  slaying  him,  he  smiled  and  said,  “ You  have  chosen 
that  course  which  is  best  to  my  mind.  I do  not  de- 
sire to  be  parted  from  my  brother.” 

The  day  was  breaking.  They  led  Illugi  to  the 
east  side  of  the  island,  and  there  they  slew  him. 

It  is  told  that  they  neither  bound  his  eyes  nor  his 
hands,  and  that  he  looked  fearlessly  at  them  when 
they  smote  him,  and  neither  changed  color  nor 
even  blinked. 

Then  they  buried  the  brothers  beneath  a cairn  in 
the  island,  but  they  took  the  head  of  Grettir  and 
bore  it  to  land.  On  the  way  they  also  slew  the 
thrall  Glaum. 


286 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

HOW  ASDIS  RECEIVED  THE  NEWS. 

Had  the  old  hag,  Thorbiorn’s  foster-mother,  any 
hand  in  the  death  of  Grettir  ? Certainly  none.  It 
was  true  that  Grettir  was  wounded  in  the  way  de- 
scribed, by  his  own  ax,  but  the  state  of  the  wound 
was  due  to  the  scorbutic  condition  of  his  blood  through 
lack  of  green  food.  This  the  Icelanders  did  not 
understand ; they  could  not  comprehend  how  a wound 
could  seem  to  be  healing  well  and  then  break  out 
and  mortify  afterwards,  and  they  supposed  that  this 
was  due  to  witchcraft.  Then,  again,  Grettir’s  kin 
could  not  take  the  case  of  Grettir’s  murder  into  court, 
because  Thorbiorn  had  acted  within  the  law  when 
killing  him  ; but  by  charging  him  with  the  practice 
of  witchcraft  they  made  him  amenable  to  the  law. 
So,  partly,  no  doubt,  in  good  faith,  they  trumped  up 
against  Thorbiorn  the  accusation  of  having  effected 
Grettir’s  death  by  witchcraft. 

Now,  it  must  be  told  how  that,  one  day  after  the 
slaying  of  Grettir,  Thorbiorn  Hook  at  the  head  of 
twenty  armed  men  rode  to  Biarg,  in  the  Midfirth-dale, 
with  Grettir’s  head  slung  from  his  saddle  bow.  On 
reaching  the  house  he  dismounted  and  strode  into 


HOW  ASDIS  RECEIVED  THE  NEWS.  287 

the  hall,  where  Grettir’s  mother  was  seated  with  a 
servant.  Thorbiorn  threw  her  son’s  head  at  her  feet, 
and  said  : “ See  ! I have  been  to  the  island  and  have 
prevailed.” 

The  lady  sat  proudly  in  her  seat,  and  did  not  shed 
a tear ; but  lifting  her  voice  in  reply,  she  sang : 

“ Milk-sop — as  timid  sheep 
Before  a fox  all  cow’ring  keep  ; 

So  did  you — nor  could  prevail 
So  long  as  Grettir  s strength  was  hale. 

Woe  is  on  the  Northland  side, 

Nor  can  I my  loathing  hide  ! ” 

After  this  The  Hook  returned  home,  and  folk 
wondered  at  Asdis,  saying  that  only  a heroic  mother 
could  have  had  sons  so  heroic.  When  Yule  was  over 
The  Hook  rode  east  away  to  Garth,  and  told  Thorir 
what  he  had  done,  and  claimed  the  money  set  on 
Grettir’s  head. 

But  Thorir  was  crafty,  and  just  as  the  Biarg  folk 
sought  a charge  against  Thorbiorn  for  his  deed,  so 
did  Thorir,  that  he  might  escape  having  to  pay  the 
silver.  He  answered,  “ I do  not  deny  that  I offered 
the  money  on  Grettir’s  head,  promising  it  to  whom- 
soever should  slay  Grettir,  but  I will  pay  nothing 
to  him  who  compassed  his  death  by  witchcraft ; and 
if  what  the  men  who  went  with  you  say  be  true, 
you  did  not  slay  him  with  a sword,  but  hacked  off 
his  head  after  he  was  dead.” 

This  made  Thorbiorn  Hook  very  angry,  and  when 
summer  came  he  brought  his  suit  against  Thorir 


288  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

for  the  money.  But  simultaneously  Grettir’s  kin 
brought  a charge  against  Thorbiorn  for  having 
practised  witchcraft.  Also  they  had  a summons 
against  him  for  the  slaying  of  Illugi.  Now,  the  case 
was  tried,  and  hotly  discussed,  and  it  ended  this 
way : — It  was  judged  that  Thorbiorn  had  struck  off 
the  head  of  a man  who  was  already  dead,  and  that 
he  had  brought  about  the  death  of  that  man  by 
witchcraft ; thereupon  it  was  judged  that  he  should 
receive  nothing  of  the  money,  and  that  he  should  be 
outlawed  from  Iceland. 

So  he  went  away  and  never  returned. 

Now,  Grettirand  Illugi  were  brought  to  land,  and 
their  bones  lie  at  Reykir,  where  was  the  friendly 
farmer  who  had  helped  them  when  they  were  at 
Drangey.  But  Grettir’s  head  was  buried  at  Biarg. 
There  is  now  no  church  or  churchyard  there,  but 
there  is  a mound  in  the  tun  where  his  head  is  said 
to  lie.  I obtained  leave  to  dig  there,  and  I ex- 
amined the  spot,  but  found  only  a great  stone  under 
the  turf,  and  this  we  had  not  the  appliances  to  move. 
And  perhaps  it  was  as  well ; for  if  Grettir’s  head  be 
there,  it  were  better  that  there  it  should  rest  un- 
disturbed. 


HOW  DROMUND  KEPT  HIS  WORD.  289 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

HOW  DROMUND  KEPT  HIS  WORD. 

Now,  after  that  Thorbiorn  Hook  had  been  out- 
lawed, he  found  that  he  had  gotten  to  himself  no 
advantage,  but  great  harm  by  what  he  had  done 
upon  Drangey.  He  was  forced  to  leave  Iceland ; 
and  he  saw,  withal,  that  never  again  might  he  set 
foot  therein  again  with  safety,  for  all  the  relatives 
of  the  Biarg  family  would  seek  his  life.  Accordingly 
he  made  over  his  farm  at  Woodwick  to  his  brother 
Hialti,  and  also  all  his  rights  over  the  island  of 
Drangey,  such  as  they  were.  Then  he  collected 
together  what  movable  goods  he  had,  and  went  on 
board  ship  and  sailed  for  Norway. 

On  reaching  Norway  he  bragged  much  of  what 
he  had  done  in  having  slain  G-rettir,  of  whom  tales 
were  told  in  Norway ; and,  as  may  well  be  under- 
stood, he  told  the  tale  of  the  slaying  of  Grettir  in 
his  own  way,  magnifying  his  heroism,  and  saying 
nothing  about  such  matters  as  lessened  the  greatness 
of  his  deed. 

During  the  early  winter  tidings  reached  Thor- 
stein  Dromund  at  Tunsberg  that  his  brother  Grettir 
was  dead,  and  also  that  the  man  who  slew  him  was 

19 


290  GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 

in  the  north  of  the  country.  When  Dromund  heard 
the  tidings  he  was  very  sorrowful,  and  he  called  to 
mind  the  words  he  had  said  to  Grettir  when  they 
showed  each  other  what  sort  of  arms  they  had. 
Dromund  considered  that  he  was  bound  to  avenge 
his  brother’s  death  on  his  murderer. 

Thorbiorn  Hook  also  was  aware  that  there  was  a 
half-brother  of  Grettir  in  Norway,  and  when  he 
knew  that  he  was  wary,  for  he  suspected  that  Dro- 
mund would  seek  his  life.  And,  indeed,  Thorstein 
Dromund  sent  spies  to  watch  Thorbiorn  Hook ; but 
the  latter  was  so  careful  of  himself  that  Dromund 
was  not  able  to  attempt  anything  against  him  all 
that  winter.  No  sooner  did  the  soft,  warm,  spring 
breezes  begin  to  blow,  than  The  Hook  got  away  out 
of  Norway  by  the  earliest  opportunity.  He  had 
heard  much  talk  how  that  the  Emperors  of  the  East, 
at  Constantinople,  kept  a guard  of  Norsemen  about 
them,  and  paid  them  well,  and  how  that  this  guard 
was  held  in  high  esteem.  So  Thorbiorn  Hook  con- 
sidered he  could  not  do  better  than  go  to  Con- 
stantinople, and  try  his  fortune  there.  But  before 
he  left  Norway  he  talked  of  his  intention,  and  this 
was  reported  to  Dromund  at  Tunsberg.  So  Dro- 
mund put  his  lands  and  affairs  into  the  hands  of  his 
kinsmen,  and  got  ready  for  journeying  in  search  of 
Hook,  whom  he  had  never  seen. 

He  sailed  away  after  him,  and  wherever  he  came 
he  made  inquiries  after  the  ship  in  which  Thorbiorn 
Hook  had  been,  and  he  was  always  just  too  late. 
He  never  could  catch  the  ship  up.  And  then  finally 


HOW  DROMUND  KEPT  HIS  WORD.  2QI 

Thorbiorn  left  the  vessel  and  journeyed  overland, 
and  Thorstein  lost  his  traces. 

However,  Dromund  knew  that  Thorbiorn  Hook 
was  going  to  Constantinople,  so  he  traveled  thither 
also,  and  reached  the  imperial  city.  How  there 
were  a great  many  Norsemen  and  Icelanders  there 
in  the  company  called  the  Yarangians,  who  acted  as 
a bodyguard  to  the  Emperor,  and  among  these  men 
were  some  twenty  or  more  called  Thorbiorn,  and 
which  among  them  was  the  murderer  of  Grettir, 
Thorstein  Dromund  did  not  know.  The  Hook,  as 
may  well  be  imagined,  did  not  tell  any  one  what  his 
nickname  was ; not  that  he  imagined  he  was  pursued, 
but  because  it  was  not  a pretty  and  flattering  name. 
Thorstein  also  offered  himself  as  a soldier  in  the 
guard,  and  was  enrolled.  He  also  merely  gave  his 
name  as  Thorstein,  and  told  no  one  of  his  nickname 
of  Dromund,  lest  the  man  he  pursued  should  take 
alarm  and  leave. 

So  time  passed,  and  Thorstein  Dromund  could  not 
find  out  his  man ; and  he  lay  awake  in  bed  many 
nights  musing  on  what  he  had  undertaken,  on  the 
sad  lot  of  Grettir,  and  on  his  ill-success  in  finding 
the  murderer  of  his  half-brother.  Now,  it  fell  out 
that  on  a certain  day  the  order  came  to  the  Yaran- 
gian  guard  that  they  were  to  be  ready,  as  they  were 
about  to  be  sent  on  an  expedition  of  importance. 

It  was  usual,  before  any  such  an  expedition,  that 
all  the  men  of  the  guard  should  burnish  up  their 
weapons  and  armor,  and  show  them,  that  they  were 
in  condition. 


292 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


So  was  it  on  this  occasion  also.  They  were  as- 
sembled in  the  guard-room,  and  each  produced  his 
weapon.  Then  Thorbiorn  held  forth  his  short-sword 
— the  very  weapon  that  Grettir  had  taken  from  the 
tomb  of  Karr  the  Old,  the  sword  with  which  he, 
The  Hook,  had  hewed  off  Grettir’s  head. 

How,  when  Thorbiorn  held  forth  the  sword  all 
the  other  guardsmen  praised  it,  and  said  it  was  an 
excellent  weapon  ; but  it  had  one  grievous  blemish, 
for  that  there  was  a notch  in  the  edge. 

“ Oh  ! ” laughed  Thorbiorn,  “ that  notch  is  no 
blemish  at  all.  It  is  a memorial  of  one  of  my 
greatest  achievements.” 

“ What  was  that  ? ” asked  one  of  the  Varangians. 

“ With  this  sword,”  answered  Thorbiorn,  “ I slew 
the  man  who  was  esteemed  the  greatest  and  most 
powerful  champion  of  his  time ; a man  who  was  in 
outlawry  for  twenty  years,  who  had  in  his  time 
fought  and  beaten  off  as  many  as  thirty  or  forty 
who  attacked  him.  But  I was  too  much  for  him. 
When  I went  against  him,  then  he  had  to  give  way. 
We  fought  for  an  hour  without  flagging,  and  finally 
I smote  him  down.  Then  I took  from  him  his  own 
sword,  and  with  it  I smote  off  his  neck ; and  thus 
got  the  sword  its  notch.” 

“ And  his  name  ? ” asked  Thorstein  Dromund. 

“ His  name  was  Grettir  the  Strong.” 

There  was  a pause ; and  in  that  pause  the  sword 
was  handed  to  Dromund  for  him  to  look  at. 

“ Thus  is  Grettir  avenged ! ” suddenly  exclaimed 
Dromund.  He  struck  across  the  table  at  Thorbiorn 


HOW  DROMUND  KEPT  HIS  WORD.  293 

with  Grettir’s  own  sword ; and  so  great  was  the 
stroke  that  it  smote  through  his  skull  to  the  jaw- 
teeth,  and  The  Hook  fell  without  a word,  dead. 

It  was  said,  in  after  times,  that  Grettir  was  won- 
derful in  his  life,  and  wonderful  in  his  death — for 
in  life  no  man  had  been  his  equal  in  strength,  and 
had  had  a sadder  span  of  life ; and  in  death  he  was 
wonderful — for  of  all  Icelanders  he  was  the  only  one 
who  was  avenged  far  away  from  home  by  the  shores 
of  the  Bosphorus,  in  the  City  of  the  Emperors. 


294 


GRETTIR  THE  OUTLAW. 


EPILOGUE. 

In  the  Icelandic  annals  the  death  of  Grettir  is  set 
down  as  having  occurred  in  1033,  but  the  dates  are 
not  quite  correct,  and  the  real  date  should  be  1031. 

Grettir  is  mentioned  in  other  Icelandic  sagas. 
He  is  spoken  of  and  his  pedigree  given  in  the  Land- 
nama  Book,  the  Icelandic  Domesday,  the  most  re- 
liable book  for  history  they  have.  The  persons 
spoken  of  in  the  saga  of  Grettir  are  heard  of  in 
several  other  quite  independent  sagas,  and  in  no 
case  is  there  any  serious  anachronism. 

Grettir,  it  will  be  recalled,  was  taken  by  the 
farmers  in  the  Ice-firth.  This  incident  is  also  related 
in  the  saga  of  the  Foster-brothers  ; so  is  another  in- 
cident about  a contest  concerning  a dead  whale  I 
have  not  related,  as  likety  to  break  the  continuity 
of  the  history.  In  the  saga  of  Thord,  the  hero  is 
said  to  have  blessed  the  Middle-firth  in  these  words : 
“ Let  the  man  who  grows  up  in  this  vale  never  be 
hung.”  And  this  blessing  was  thought  to  have  had 
something  to  do  with  the  saving  of  Grettir’s  neck 
in  the  Ice-firth.  The  story  of  Gisli  has  been  told 
whom  Grettir  whipped.  How,  intheViga-styr  saga, 
the  most  ancient  of  all  Icelandic  sagas,  we  hear  of 


vr> 


EPILOGUE. 


295 

this  same  Gisli,  and  his  character  is  painted  in  the 
same  colors  as  in  the  saga  of  Grettir,  but  no  men- 
tion is  made  of  the  whipping  administered  by 
Grettir.  The  murder  of  Atli,  the  brother  of  our 
outlaw,  and  the  consequent  slaying  of  Thorbiorn 
Oxmain  is  spoken  of  in  the  saga  of  Bard.  The  cir- 
cumstance of  Grettir  having  lived  in  a cave  on  the 
farm  in  Hit-dale  is  spoken  of  in  the  saga  of  Biorn. 
In  the  history  of  Grettir  mention  is  made  of  the 
strife  which  took  place  between  Biorn  and  Thord, 
but  the  full  particulars  of  what  is  there  alluded  to 
casually  are  given  in  the  saga  of  Biorn  of  Hit-dale. 
In  our  saga,  Grettir  is  spoken  of  as  meeting  Bard 
wounded  after  a hard  fight,  in  which  he  had  avenged 
the  death  of  his  brother,  but  no  particulars  are  given. 
In  the  saga  of  the  Heath-fights  we  recover  the 
whole  story.  Thus  one  saga  explains  and  supports 
another. 

It  is  therefore  impossible  to  set  down  the  story 
of  Grettir  as  fabulous.  It  is  historical;  but  the 
history  has  been  somewhat  embellished,  partly  by 
family  vanity  which  led  to  the  undue  glorification 
of  their  hero,  and  partly  by  superstition  which  imag- 
ined the  marvelous  where  all  was  really  natural. 


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\ 


A.  L.  Burt’s  Catalogue  of  Books  for 
Young  People  by  Popular  Writers,  52- 
58  Duane  Street,  New  York  ^ ^ 


BOOKS  FOR  BOYS. 

Joe’s  Luck:  A Boy’s  Adventures  in  California.  By 

Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  12ino,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00 
The  story  is  chock  full  of  stirring  incidents,  while  the  amusing  situ- 
ations are  furnished  by  Joshua  Bickford,  from  Pumpkin  Hollow,  and  the 
fellow  who  modestly  styles  himself  the  “Rip-tail  Roarer,  from  Pike  Co., 
Missouri.”  Mr.  Alger  never  writes  a poor  book,  and  “Joe’s  Luck”  is  cer» 
tainly  one  of  his  best. 

Tom  the  Bootblack;  or,  The  Boad  to  Success.  By< 

Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

A bright,  enterprising  lad  was  Tom  the  Bootblack.  He  was  not  at  all 
ashamed  of  his  humble  calling,  though  always  on  the  lookout  to  better 
himself.  The  lad  started  for  Cincinnati  to  look  up  his  heritage.  Mr, 
Grey,  the  uncle,  did  not  hesitate  to  employ  a ruffian  to  kill  the  lad.  The 
plan  failed,  and  Gilbert  Grey,  once  Tom  the  bootblack,  came  into  a com- 
fortable fortune.  This  is  one  of  Mr.  Alger’s  best  stories. 

Dan  the  Newsboy.  By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  12mo, 

cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

Dan  Mordaunt  and  his  mother  live  in  a poor  tenement,  and  the  lad  is 
pluckily  trying  to  make  ends  meet  by  selling  papers  in  the  streets  of  New 
York.  A little  heiress  of  six  years  is  confided  to  the  care  of  the  Mor- 
daunts.  The  child  is  kidnapped  and  Dan  tracks  the  child  to  the  house 
where  she  is  hidden,  and  rescues  her.  The  wealthy  aunt  of  the  little 
heiress  is  so  delighted  with  Dan’s  courage  and  many  good  qualities 
that  she  adopts  him  as  her  heir. 

Tony  the  Hero:  A Brave  Boy’s  Adventure  with  & 

Tramp.  By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Tony,  a sturdy  bright-eyed  boy  of  fourteen,  is  under  the  control  <sf 
Rudolph  Rugg,  a thorough  rascal.  After  much  abuse  Tony  runs  aw*y 
and  gets  a job  as  stable  boy  in  a country  hotel.  Tony  is  heir  to  a 
large  estate.  Rudolph  for  a consideration  hunts  up  Tony  and  throws 
him  down  a deep  well.  Of  course  Tony  escapes  from  the  fate  provided 
for  him,  and  by  a brave  act,  a rich  friend  secures  his  rights  and  Tony 
is  prosperous.  A very  entertaining  book. 

The  Errand  Boy;  or.  How  Phil  Brent  Won  Success. 

By  Horatio  Aiger,  Jr.  12mo,  cloth  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

The  career  of  “The  Errand  Boy”  embraces  the  city  adventures  of  a 
smart  country  lad.  Philip  was  brought  up  by  a kind-hearted  innkeeper 
named  Brent.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Brent  paved  the  way  for  the  hero’s 
subsequent  troubles.  A retired  merchant 1 in  New  York  secures  him  the 
situation  of  errand  boy,  and  thereafter  stands  as  his  frieul. 

Tom  Temple’s  Career.  By  Horatio  Alger,  J a.  12mo, 

cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

Tom  Temple  is  a bright,  self-reliant  lad.  He  leaves  Plympton  village 
to  seek  work  in  New  York,  whence  he  undertakes  an  important  misUon 
to  California.  Some  of  his  adventures  in  the  far  west  are  so  startling  that 
the  reader  will  scarcely  close  the  book  until  the  last  page  shall  have  been 
reached.  The  tale  is  written  in  Mr.  Alger’s  most  fascinating  style. 


For  sale  by  ail  booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price  bf  the 

publisher,  A.  L.  BURT,  52-58  Duane  Street,  New  York. 


2 a.  l.  Burt's  books  for  young  people. 


BOOKS  FOR  BOYS. 

Frank  Fowler,  the  Cash  Boy.  By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

Frank  Fowler,  a poor  boy,  bravely  determines  to  make  a living  for 
himself  and  bis  foster-sister  Grace.  Going  to  New  York  he  obtains  a 
situation  as  cash  boy  in  a dry  goods  store.  He  renders  a service  to  a 
wealthy  old  gentleman  who  takes  a fancy  to  the  lad,  and  thereafter 
helps  the  lad  to  gain  success  and  fortune. 

Tom  Thatcher’s  Fortune.  By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

Tom  Thatcher  is  a brave,  ambitious,  unselfish  boy.  He  supports  his 
mother  and  sister  on  meagre  wages  earned  as  a shoe-pegger  in  John 
Simpson’s  factory.  Tom  is  discharged  from  the  factory  and  starts  over- 
land for  California.  He  meets  with  many  adventures.  The  story  is  told 
in  a way  which  has  made  Mr.  Alger’s  name  a household  word  in  so  many 
homes. 

The  Train  Boy.  By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  12mo, 

cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

Paul  Palmer  was  a wide-awake  boy  of  sixteen  who  supported  his  mother 
and  sister  by  selling  books  and  papers  on  the  Chicago  and  Milwaukee 
Railroad.  He  detects  a young  man  in  the  act  of  picking  the  pocket  of  a 
young  lady.  In  a railway  accident  many  passengers  are  killed,  but  Paul 
is  fortunate  enough  to  assist  a Chicago  merchant,  who  out  of  gratitude 
takes  him  into  his  employ.  Paul  succeeds  wTith  tact  and  judgment  and 
is  well  started  on  the  road  to  business  prominence. 

Mark  Mason’s  Victory.  The  Trials  and  Triumphs  of 

a Telegraph  Boy.  By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price 

$1,00. 

Mark  Mason,  the  telegraph  boy,  was  a sturdy,  honest  lad,  who  pluckily 
won  his  way  to  success  by  his  honest  manly  efforts  under  many  diffi- 
culties. This  story  will  please  the  very  large  class  of  boys  who  regard 
Mr.  Alger  as  a favorite  author. 

A Debt  of  Honor.  The  Story  of  Gerald  Lane’s  Success 

in  the  Far  West.  By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price 

$1.00, 

The  story  of  Gerald  Lane  and  the  account  of  the  many  trials  and  dis- 
appointments whicty  he  passed  through  before  he  attained  success,  will 
interest  all  boys  who  have  read  the  previous  stories  of  this  delightful 
author. 

Ben  Bruce.  Scenes  in  the  Life  of  a Bowery  Newsboy. 

By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

Ben  Bruce  was  a brave,  manly,  generous  boy.  The  story  of  his  efforts, 
and  many  seeming  failures  and  disappointments,  and  his  final  success,  are 
most  interesting  to  all  readers.  The  tale  is  written  in  Mr.  Alger’s 
most  fascinating  style. 

The  Castaways;  or,  On  the  Florida  Reefs.  By  James 

Otis,  12mo,  clotn,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

This  tale  smacks  of  the  salt  sea.  From  the  moment  that  the  Sea 
Queen  leaves  lower  New  York  bay  till  the  breeze  leaves  her  becalmed  off 
the  coast  of  Florida,  one  can  almost  bear  the  whistle  of  the  wind 
through  her  rigging,  the  creak  of  her  straining  cordage  as  she  heels  to 
the  leeward.  The  adventures  of  Ben  Clark,  the  hero  of  the  story  and 
Jake  the  cook,  cannot  fail  to  charm  the  reader.  As  a writer  for  young 
people  Mr.  Otis  is  a prime  favorite. 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price  by  the 

publisher.  A.  L,  BURT,  52-58  Duane  Street,  New  York. 


A.  L.  burt’s  books  for  young  people,  3 


BOOKS  FOR  BOYS. 

Wrecked  on  Spider  Island;  or.  How  Ned  Rogers  Found 

the  Treasure.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price1  $1.00. 

Ned  Rogers,  a “down-east”  plucky  lad  ships  as  cabin  boy  to  earn 
a livelihood.  Ned  is  marooned  on  Spider  Island,  and  while  there  dis- 
covers  a wreck  submerged  in  the  sand,  and  finds  a considerable  amount 
of  treasure.  The  capture  of  the  treasure  and  the  incidents  of  the 
voyage  serve  to  make  as  entertaining  a story  of  sea-life  as  the  most 
captious  boy  could  desire. 

The  Search  for  the  Silver  City : A Tale  of  Adventure  in 

Yucatan.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

Two  lads,  Teddy  Wright  and  Neal  Emery,  embark  on  the  steam 
yacht  Day  Dream  for  a cruise  to  the  tropics.  The  yacht  is  destroyed 
by  fire,  and  then  the  boat  is  cast  upon  the  coast  of  Yucatan.  They 
hear  of  the  wonderful  Silver  City,  of  the  Chan  Santa  Cruz  Indians, 
and  with  the  help  of  a faithful  Indian  ally  carry  off  a number  of  the 
golden  images  from  the  temples.  Pursued  with  relentless  vigor  at  last 
their  escape  is  effected  in  an  astonishing  manner.  The  story  is  so 
full  of  exciting  incidents  that  the  reader  is  quite  carried  away  with 
the  novelty  and  realism  of  the  nai  tive. 

A Runaway  Brig;  or.  An  Accidental  Cruise.  By 

James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

This  is  a sea  tale,  and  the  reader  can  look  out  upon  the  wide  shimmer- 
ing sea  as  it  flashes  back  the  sunlight,  and  imagine  himself  afloat  with 
Harry  Vandyne,  Walter  Morse,  Jim  Libby  and  that  old  shell-back,  Bob 
Brace,  on  the  brig  Bonita.  The  boys  discover  a mysterious  document 
which  enables  them  to  find  a buried  treasure.  They  are  stranded  on 
an  island  and  at  last  are  rescued  with  the  treasure.  The  boys  are  sure 
to  be  fascinated  with  this  entertaining  story. 

The  Treasure  Finders : A Boy’s  Adventures  in 

Nicaragua.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

Roy  and  Dean  Coloney,  with  their  guide  Tongla,  leave  their  father’s 
indigo  plantation  to  visit  the  wonderful  ruins  of  an  ancient  city.  The 
boys  eagerly  explore  the  temples  of  an  extinct  race  and  discover  three 
golden  images  cunningly  hidden  away.  They  escape  with  the  greatest 
difficulty.  Eventually  they  reach  safety  with  their  golden  prizes.  We 
doubt  if  there  ever  was  written  a more  entertaining  story  than  “The 
Treasure  Finders.” 

Jack,  the  Hunchback.  A Story  of  the  Coast  of  Maine. 

By  James  Otis.  Price  $1.00. 

This  is  the  story  of  a little  hunchback  who  lived  m Cape  Elizabeth, 
on  the  coast  of  Maine.  His  trials  and  successes  are  most  interesting. 
From  first  to  last  nothing  stays  the  interest  of  the  narrative.  It  bears  us 
along  as  on  a stream  whose  current  varies  in  direction,  but  never  loses 
its  force. 

With  Washington  at  Monmouth:  A Story  of  Three 

Philadelphia  Boys.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  ornamental  cloth,  olivine 

edges,  illustrated,  price  $1.50. 

Three  Philadelphia  lads  assist  the  American  spies  and  make  regular 
and  frequent  visits  to  Valley  Forge  in  the  Winter  while  the  British 
occupied  the  city.  The  story  abounds  with  pictures  of  Colonial  life 
Bkillfully  drawn,  and  the  glimpses  of  Washington’s  soldiers  which  are 
given  shown  that  the  work  has  not  been  hastily  done,  or  without  con- 
siderable study.  The  story  is  wholesome  and  patriotic  in  tone,  as  are 
all  of  Mr.  Otis’  works. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price  by  tba. 

Dublisher,  A.  L.  BURT,  58-58  Duane  Street.  New  York. 


4 a.  l.  Burt’s  books  for  young  people, 


BOOKS  FOR  BOYS. 

With  Lafayette  at  Yorktown:  A Story  of  How  Two 

Boys  Joined  the  Continental  Army.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  ornamental 
cloth,  olivine  edges,  illustrated,  price  $1.50. 

Two  lads  from  Portmouth,  N.  H.,  attempt  to  enlist  in  the  Colonial 
Army,  and  are  given  employment  as  spies.  There  is  no  lack  of  exciting 
incidents  which  the  youthful  reader  craves,  but  it  is  healthful  excite- 
ment brimming  with  facts  which  every  boy  should  be  familiar  with, 
and  while  the  reader  is  following  the  adventures  of  Ben  Jaffrays  and 
Ned  Allen  he  is  acqhiring  a fund  of  historical  lore  which  will  remain 
in  his  memory  long  after  that  which  he  has  memorized  from  text- 
books has  been  forgotten. 

At  the  Siege  of  Havana.  Being  the  Experiences  of 

Three  Boys  Serving  under  Israel  Putnam  in  1762.  By  James  Otis.  12mo, 
ornamental  cloth,  olivine  edges,  illustrated,  price  $1.50. 

“At  the  Siege  of  Havana’’  deals  with  that  portion  of  the  island’s 
history  when  the  English  king  captured  the  capital,  thanks  to  the 
assistance  given  by  the  troops  from  New  England,  led  in  part  by  Col. 
Israel  Putnam. 

The  principal  characters  are  Darius  Lunt,  the  lad  who,  represented  as 
telling  the  story,  and  his  comrades,  Robert  Clement  and  Nicholas 
Yallet.  Colonel  Putnam  also  figures  to  considerable  extent,  necessarily, 
in  the  tale,  and  the  whole  forms  one  of  the  most  readable  stories  founded  on 
historical  facts. 

The  Defense  of  Fort  Henry.  A Story  of  Wheeling 

Creek  in  1777  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  ornamental  cloth,  olivine  edges, 
illustrated,  price  $1.50. 

Nowhere  in  the  history  of  our  country  can  be  found  more  heroic  or 
thrilling  incidents  than  in  the  story  of  those  brave  men  and  women 
who  founded  the  settlement  of  Wheeling  in  the  Colony  of  Virginia.  The 
recital  of  what  Elizabeth  Zane  did  is  in  itself  as  heroic  a story  as  can 
be  imagined.  The  wmndrous  bravery  displayed  by  Major  McCulloch 
and  his  gallant  comrades,  the  sufferings  of  the  colonists  and  their  sacrifice 
of  blood  and  life,  stir  the  blood  of  old  as  well  as  young  readers. 

The  Capture  of  the  Laughing  Mary.  A Story  of  Three 

New  York  Boys  in  1776.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  ornamental  cloth,  divine 
edges,  price  $1.50. 

“During  the  British  occupancy  of  New  York,  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution,  a Yankee  lad  hears  of  the  plot  to  take  General  Washington’s 
person,  and  calls  in  two  companions  to  assist  the  patriot  cause.  They 
do  some  astonishing  things,  and,  incidentally,  lay  the  way  for  an 
American  navy  later,  by  the  exploit  which  gives  its  name  to  the 
work.  Mr.  Otis’  books  are  too  well  known  to  require  any  particular 
commendation  to  the  young.” — Evening  Post. 

With  Warren  at  Bunker  Hill.  A Story  of  the  Siege  of 

Boston.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  ornametnal  cloth,  olivine  edges,  illus' 
trated,  price  $1.50. 

“This  is  a tale  of  the  siege  of  Boston,  which  opens  on  the  day  after 
the  doings  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  with  a description  of  home  life 
in  Boston,  introduces  the  reader  to  the  British  camp  at  Charlestown, 
shows  Gen.  Warren  at  home,  describes  what  a boy  thought  of  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  closes  wuth  the  raising  of  the  siege.  The 
three  heroes,  George  Wentworth,  Ben  Scarlett  and  an  old  ropemaker, 
incur  the  enmity  of  a young  Tory,  who  causes  them  many  adventures 
the  boys  will  like  to  read.” — Detroit  Free  Press. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price  by  the 
publisher,  A.  L.  BXJRT,  52-58  Duane  Street,  New  York, 


a.  ii.  burt’s  books  for  young  people,  5 


BOOKS  FOR  BOYS. 


With  the  Swamp  Fox.  The  Story  of  General  Marion’s 

Spies,  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1„00. 

This  story  deals  with  General  Francis  Marion’s  heroic  struggle  in  the 
Carolinas.  General  Marion’s  arrival  to  take  command  ot  these  brave 
men  and  rough  riders  is  pictured  as  a boy  might  have  seen  it,  and 
although  the  story  is  devoted  to  what  the  lads  did,  the  Swamp  Fox 
is  ever  present  in  the  mind  of  the  reader. 

On  the  Kentucky  Frontier.  A Story  of  the  Fighting 

Pioneers  of  the  West.  By  James  Otis.  12i?'o,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1. 
In  the  history  of  our  country  there  is  no  more  thrillihg  story  than 
that  of  the  work  done  on  the  Mississippi  river  by  a handful  of  frontiers* 
men.  Mr.  Otis  takes  the  reader  on  that  famous  expedition  from  the 
arrival  of  Major  Clarke’s  force  at  Corn  Island,  until  Kaskaskia  was 
captured.  He  relates  that  part  of  Simon  Kenton’s  life  history  which 
is  not  usually  touched  upon  either  by  the  historian  or  the  story  teller. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  entertaining  books  for  young  people  which  has 
been  published. 

Sarah  Dillard’s  Ride.  A Story  of  South  Carolina  in 

in  1780.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

“This  book  deals  with  the  Carolinas  in  1780,  giving  a wealth  of  detail  of 
the  Mountain  Men  who  struggled  so  valiantly  against  the  king’s  troops. 
Major  Ferguson  is  the  prominent  British  officer  of  the  story,  which  is 
told  as  though  coming  from  a youth  who  experienced  these  adventures. 
In  this  way  the  famous  ride  of  Sarah  Dillard  is  brought  out  as  an 
incident  of  the  plot.” — Boston  Journal. 


Washington.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

“ ‘A  Tory  Plot’  is  the  story  of  two  lads  who  overhear  something 
of  the  plot  originated  during  the  Revolution  by  Gov.  Tryon  to  capture 
or  murder  Washington.  They  communicate  their  knowledge  to  Gen. 
Putnam  and  are  commissioned  by  him  to  play  the  role  of  detectives 
in  the  matter.  They  do  so,  and  meet  with  many  adventures  and  hair* 
breadth  escapes.  The  boys  are,  of  course,  mythical,  but  they  serve  to  en- 
able the  author  to  put  into  very  attractive  shape  much  valuable  knowledge 
concerning  one  phase  of  the  Revolution.” — Pittsburgh  Times. 

A Traitors  Escape.  A Story  of  the  Attempt  to  Seize 

Benedict  Arnold.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

“This  is  a tale  with  stirring  scenes  depicted  in  each  chapter,  bringing 
clearly  before  the  mind  the  glorious  deeds  of  the  early  settlers  in  this 
country,  (n  an  historical  work  dealing  with  this  country’s  past,  no 

plot  can  hold  the  attention  closer  than  this  one,  which  describes  the 

attempt  nd  partial  success  of  Benedict  Arnold’s  escape  to  New  York, 

where  b remained  as  the  guest  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  All  those  who 
actually  figured  in  the  arrest  of  the  traitor,  as  well  as  Gen.  Washing- 
ton, are  included  as  characters.” — Albany  Union. 

A Cruise  with  Paul  Jones.  A Story  of  Naval  Warfare 

In  1776.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

“This  story  takes  up  that  portion  of  Paul  Jones’  adventurous  life 

when  he  was  hovering  off  the  British  coast,  watching  for  an  oppor- 

tunity to  strike  the  enemy  a blow.  It  deals  more  particularly  with 
his  descent  upon  Whitehaven,  the  seizure  of  Lady  Selkirk’s  plate,  and 

the  famous  battle  with  the  Drake.  The  boy  who  figures  in  the  tale 

is  one  who  was  taken  from  a derelict  by  Paul  Jones  shortly  after  this 

particular  cruise  was  begun.” — Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 


A Tory  Plot. 


Attempt  to  Kill  General 


6 A.  L.  BURT?S  BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 

booksTor’boys^ 

Corporal  Lige  s Recruit.  A Story  of  Crown  Point  and 

Ticonderoga.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1,00. 

“In  ‘Corporal  Lige’s  Recruit,’  Mr.  Otis  tells  the  amusing  story  of  an 
old  soldier,  proud  of  his  record,  who  had  served  the  king  in  ’58.  and  who 
takes  the  lad,  Isaac  Rice,  as  his  ‘personal  recruit.’  The  lad  acquits 
himself  superbly.  Col.  Ethan  Allen  ‘in  the  name  of  God  and  the  con- 
tinental congress,’  infuses  much  martial  spirit  into  the  narrative,  which 
will  arouse  the  keenest  interest  as  it  proceeds.  Crown  Point.  Ticon- 
deroga,  Benedict  Arnold  and  numerous  other  famous  historical  names 
appear  in  this  dramatic  tale.” — Boston  Globe. 

Morgan,  the  Jersey  Spy.  A Story  of  the  Siege  of  York' 

town  in  1781.  By  James  Otis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

“The  two  lads  who  are  utilized  by  the  author  to  emphasize  the  details 
of  the  work  done  during  that  memorable  time  were  real  boys  who  lived 
on  the  banks  of  the  York  river,  and  who  aided  the  Jersey  spy  in  his 
dangerous  occupation.  In  the  guise  of  fishermen  the  lads  visit  York- 
town,  are  suspected  of  being  spies,  and  put  under  arrest.  Morgan  risks 
his  life  to  save  them.  The  final  escape,  the  thrilling  encounter  with  a 
squad  of  red  coats,  when  they  are  exposed  equally  to  the  bullets  of 
friends  and  foes,  told  in  a masterly  fashion,  makes  of  this  volume  one 
of  the  most  entertaining  books  of  the  yehr.”-— Inter-Ocean. 

The  Young  Scout:  The  Story  of  a West  Point  Lieu- 

tenant. By  Edward  S.  Ellis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 

The  crafty  Apache  chief  Geronimo  but  a few  years  ago  was  the 
most  terrible  scourge  of  the  southwest  border.  The  author  has  woven, 
in  a tale  of  thrilling  interest,  all  the  incidents  of  Geronimo’s  last  raid. 
The  hero  is  Lieutenant  James  Decker,  a recent  graduate  of  West  Point. 
Ambitious  to  distinguish  himself  the  young  man  takes  many  a desperate 
chance  against  the  enemy  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  narrowly 
escapes  with  his  life.  In  our  opinion  Mr.  Ellis  is  the  best  writer  of 
Indian  stories  now  before  the  public. 

Adrift  in  the  Wilds:  The  Adventures  of  Two  Ship- 

wrecked Boys.  By  Edward  S.  Ellis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1.00. 
Elwood  Brandon  and  Howard  Lawrence  are  en  route  for  San  Fran- 
cisco. Off  the  coast  of  California  the  steamer  takes  fire.  The  two  boys 
reach  the  shore  with  several  of  the  passengers.  Young  Brandon  be- 
comes separated  from  his  party  and  is  captured  by  hostile  Indians, 
but  is  afterwards  rescued.  This  is  a very  entertaining  narrative^of 
Southern  California. 

A Young  Hero;  or,  Fighting  to  Win.  By  Edward  S. 

Ellis.  12mo,  cloth,  illus  crated,  price  $1.00. 

This  story  tells  how  a valuable  solid  silver  service  was  stolen  from 
the  Misses  Perkinpine,  two  very  old  and  simple  minded  ladies.  Fred 
Sheldon,  the  hero  of  this  story,  undertakes  to  discover  the  thieves  and 
have  them  arrested.  After  much  time  spent  in  detective  workD  he 
succeeds  in  discovering  the  silver  plate  and  winning  the  reward.  The 
story  is  told  in  Mr.  Ellis’  most  fascinating  style.  Every  boy  will  be 
glad  to  read  this  delightful  book. 

Lost  in  the  Kockies.  A Story  of  Adventure  in  the 

Rocky  Mountains.  By  Edward  S.  Ellis.  12mo,  cloth,  illustrated,  price  $1, 
Incident  succeeds  incident,  and  adventure  is  piled  upon  adventure, 
and  at  the  end  the  reader,  be  be  boy  or  man.  will  have  experienced 
breathless  enjoyment  in  this  romantic  story  describing  many  adventures  in 
the  Rockies  and  among  the  Indians. 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price  by  the 
publisher,  A.  L,  BURT,  52-58  Duane  Street,  New  York. 


